


Three Men and a Freezer

by YouAreNana



Category: NCT (Band), SuperM (Korea Band), WAYV
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, I can't write prose for shit, I have no regrets, LuTen, M/M, Markhyuck and Jaeyong are side ships, Non-Explicit Sex, Roommates, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, Very minor Yuwin and Nomin, because apparently I can't write smut either, energizerbunny!lucas, mostly dialogue tbh, this fic is basically a meme
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-12 08:15:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 65,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29257302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YouAreNana/pseuds/YouAreNana
Summary: Ten likes living with Mark. Just Mark. Yes, they have an extra room. But that doesn't mean they have to fill it! Thus, the fact that he allowed Mark to bring over his friend, Lucas, as a potential roommate is very fucking mind boggling. When Lucas turns out to be hot as shit, Ten justknowsthe universe is screwing with him.
Relationships: Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas, Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Lee Taeyong, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee
Comments: 149
Kudos: 128





	1. Take Off

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my first fic ever. Thank you for being here for my debut. 
> 
> A few things of relative importance:
> 
> 1\. I have fucked around with everybody's ages. Ten is 22, Mark and Lucas are 20. Taeyong is 22 and Jaehyun is 25. Others' ages will be pretty apparent given their associations with one another, I think. 
> 
> 2\. Everyone attends school in the US. I chose to do this because I am most familiar with the "american" university system. Unfortunately.
> 
> 3\. I am not Korean, Chinese, or Cantonese. If I have written anything that you feel is a misunderstanding of any of the peoples/cultures mentioned or a flat out instance of disrespect, and you feel comfortable doing so, please let me know in the comments or by PM.

“ _Whomst_?” Ten spat.

“Whomst? Who the fuck even says that?” Mark retorted, his voice equal parts disgust and incredulity.

Ten turned to face him and crooked an eyebrow. Mark huffed before replying to his question.

“Lucas. He and I went to high school together and now he’s transferring to our university and he needs a place to live. Since we have the extra room I thought, you know…” Mark trailed off under Ten’s withering gaze.

“You thought? You know how I feel about living with people I don’t know, Mark. I only tolerate you because you’re basically my child at this point,” Ten scoffed as he swiveled back around in his desk chair and returned to hacking away at his keyboard with unnecessary fervor.

Mark refused to take the queue, “Oh, come on, it’s not like Lucas is a total stranger – he’s my friend! Who knows, you might even like him—”

“Unlikely,” Ten interrupted without looking up.

“Not with that attitude!” Mark dodged as Ten’s hand snaked out to smack him. “Fine, let me just bring him by to check it out, okay? And then you can see for yourself that he’s cool.”

“If it’ll make you shut up and leave me alone, then fine.”

Mark clapped his hands, “Oh, seriously? Sweet! I didn’t think it would be this easy to convince you!”

Ten stopped typing and very slowly raised his head to stare into the middle distance.

“Get. Out.”

“Yep, right. Leaving.” The door snicked closed.

***

Ten emerged from his room later that evening, hoodie pulled up over his head and rubbing at his eyes. Mark was in the living area, playing with his phone. Ten collapsed dramatically next to him, the device bouncing out of Mark’s hands and onto the floor.

“Yo, Ten, what the hell, man?” Mark tried to retrieve his phone while Ten attempted to lie across his lap. Mark eventually gave up and sat back, patting Ten’s head absent-mindedly.

“Did you finish the paper?” he enquired.

“Yeah,” Ten grunted. “And now I’m tired. And hungry. Did you get any food?”

“There’s takeout in the kitchen. Wings,” Mark replied.

“Lovely. I’ll go get them in a while.”

They were both silent for a few minutes before Ten spoke up again.

“I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want you to bring Lu-whoever over to look at the place.”

Mark stopped playing with Ten’s hair, “What? Why not?”

Ten reached around to grab Mark’s hand and place it back on his head, “Because then I’ll have to clean all my shit out of the spare room and the very thought of having to do that makes me want to _perish_.”

“Oh my god. You’re lazy as shit. But you’re too late: I already told Lucas to come by tomorrow. No take backs!” Mark grinned and yanked Ten’s hair for good measure. Upon hearing Mark’s words, Ten sat bolt upright.

“Tomorrow?! Are you telling me I have to clean out the room tonight?” Ten’s face contorted with an exhausted sort of rage. Mark started cackling and shook his head.

“No, no. Calm down. Jesus Christ. Lucas is super chill. He’ll be fine if we just show him the room and explain that we’d empty it out if he decides to move in.”

Ten exhaled, “Good, because I was about to fucking stake you. Now where’s the chicken? I need to shove something in my mouth before I start screaming.”

Ten stood up and walked towards the kitchen where he cracked open the takeout box sitting on the counter. Mark followed behind him after collecting his phone and opened the refrigerator, swinging the door back and forth as he browsed their extensive (read: incredibly limited) beverage selection.

“Choose a drink and stop abusing the door,” Ten admonished around a mouthful of chicken. Mark grabbed a soda, spinning around as he slammed the fridge closed, and stuck his tongue out at Ten. Unamused, Ten threw a bone at him and the two men proceeded to stare silently at one another when it hit the floor.

“Pick it up,” Ten bit out.

“No, you pick it up. You threw it.”

“I only did that because you were being a little shit.”

“Ten, if you leave it there, we’ll get cockroaches,” Mark whined, sipping his soda and toeing the chicken bone experimentally.

“If I find a cockroach in this house, so help me god, I will make you eat it, Mark Lee,” Ten finished the last wing and brought the carton to the rubbish, which he kept open while glowering meaningfully in Mark’s direction.

Suitably affronted by Ten’s threat, Mark stooped down to gingerly pick up the offending item from the tiled floor. He dropped it into the rubbish pail and looked up at Ten, who blew him a kiss.

“Good boy,” Ten’s smile was all Cheshire cat. Mark grimaced.

“I hate you.”

“Bitch, watch your mouth. Do you or do you not want me to let your friend through my door?” Ten grabbed Mark’s ear. The younger man yelped in response and tried to squirm out of his grasp.

“Your door? We share this apartment, Ten! It’s my door too,” Mark yelled as he escaped from Ten and ran back towards the living room.

Ten followed at a more leisurely pace and settled down on the sofa, scrolling through Instagram as he snapped back, “Keep up your deplorable behavior and you’ll find yourself on the other side of that door. _Permanently_.”

“You would never. You love me,” Mark taunted, standing by the window with his hands on his hips.

“You’re right, Markie, I do love you. Come sit with mama,” Ten patted the spot beside him. Mark rolled his eyes hard enough for them to all but fall out of his head but sat down nonetheless, peeking over Ten’s shoulder and occasionally reaching out to like posts only to have Ten swat his hand away.

They spent the rest of the evening in relative serenity before retreating to their respective bedrooms. Ten donned his pajamas, an all-black set Mark had gifted him the previous Christmas and performed his nightly skincare routine. As he brushed his teeth, he casually plotted ways to scare off Mark’s friend and ensure that his shit-storm-in-the-spare-room could remain his shit-storm-in-the-spare-room.

After clambering into bed and turning off the light, he heard Mark shriek, “Goodnight, Ten!”

“Goodnight, shithead.”

***

When Ten woke up the next morning, Mark was gone. Most likely at one of his early classes. Ten never quite grasped how anyone could engage with academia before eleven o’clock and had managed to schedule afternoon classes every semester, allowing him to sleep in till a reasonable hour. He brewed some green tea and placed two slices of bread in the toaster, checking his phone while he waited for them. There was a missed FaceTime from his sister and two texts from Mark, along with at least a dozen missed IG lives and Twitter notifications. He clicked on the messages from his roommate.

 **Markie** | _i’m bringing Lucas over at noon_

 **Markie** | _plz be awake!! and presentable_

Ten typed out a reply with one hand as he poured honey onto his toast with the other.

 **10** | _Who are you giving orders to? You’ll be lucky if I even let your good-for-nothing ass in._

Ten was finishing up his breakfast and cleaning the dishes when his phone buzzed. He dried his hands and opened iMessages, immediately giving Mark’s response a thumbs down.

 **Markie** | _ur finally awake! that’s step 1. now get dressed_

 **10** | _Baby, you’re skating on thin fucking ice._

Ten closed his phone, tossing it on the sofa as he walked to the bathroom. He turned on the shower and made sure his towel was hanging up rather than absconded somewhere by Mark who for no reason known to humanity used at least three towels per shower. Ten belted out Troye Sivan’s ‘Bloom’ as he washed his hair and wondered if Lucas would be as hapless and irritating as Mark could be.

Back in his room, he selected a pair of ripped black jeans and a loose pale pink T-shirt. Once he was fully clothed, he put on all of his jewelry and touched up his nail polish. While he was waiting for his nails to dry, his sister called again.

“Hey Tern, who died?”

_Jesus Christ, Ten, can’t I just want to talk to you?_

“What is this strange sensation I’m feeling? Oh, yeah, doubt,” Ten sneered, before breaking out in laughter.

_You’re the literal worst and I am ashamed to be related to you. Anyway, are you free this weekend?_

Ten pretended to think before replying, “Ummmmm, yes. Why?”

_Yay! Let’s get lunch. We can go to that place that does the tteokbokki how you like it. Bring Mark!_

“Why would I do that? So, the two of you can team up to torture me?” Ten queried.

 _Please bring him, Ten, I promise we’ll behave. I haven’t seen Markie in weeks. I miss him._ Tern pouted exaggeratedly and Ten scowled at her.

“Fine, but as soon as you two clowns start acting up, I’m leaving, and you can keep him. Have fun living with my leftovers!” Ten blew on his nails and his sister huffed.

 _Oh, please, as if you could live without your precious Mark._ Tern rolled her eyes affectionately and pulled her hair into a bun, securing it with a scrunchie. _So, I’ll see you at like 1 on Saturday?_

“Yeah, yeah, sure. We’ll just meet you there?” Ten asked, flicking away a text notification from Mark.

 _Sounds good – I can’t wait! Okay, have a good day, Ten. Love you,_ Tern waved.

“Love you too, sis. Byeeee,” Ten hung up and opened Mark’s message.

 **Markie** | _fyi me and lucas should be there in 30_

 **10** | _Oh, goodie. Let me roll out the red carpet._

 **Markie** | 🖕🖕

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What would y'all prefer: one or two updates a week? Also, I can't figure out how to put hyperlinks in the notes. Please, someone, help a homie in need.


	2. Face to Face

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter Lucas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I changed my mind! I am actually mostly done with this fic already so I'm gonna spam some chapters whenever I can.

Ten was lying on the couch, submitting his paper, when he heard the key turn in the lock. _Here we fucking go_ , he thought as he closed his laptop and sat up. Mark walked in, laughing his stupidly adorable hyena laugh and Ten schooled his features, ready to level Lucas with a death glare.

However, once the man in question passed over the threshold and stood on the ‘Bitch, don’t wear no shoes in my house’ doormat, any thoughts of eye-murdering him vacated Ten’s mind. Because Lucas was hot. Like, “please hand me a glass of water, because my throat is suddenly as dry as the Sahara fucking desert” kind of hot. Ten blinked, finding that Lucas had not in fact gotten any less hot in the millisecond his eyes were closed.

Mark, oblivious to the crisis Ten was currently living through, hurried to the sofa and dragged Ten up by one of his lifeless arms.

“Ten, Lucas. Lucas, Ten!” he chirped, motioning for Lucas to come closer with the hand that wasn’t clinging to Ten. Lucas heeded the gesture and approached, extending one hand in Ten’s direction.

“Hey! It’s good to meet you, man!” Lucas smiled and Ten almost hit him. _How??? How can you get even more beautiful?_ Ten shrieked internally. _Leave some beauty for the rest of us._

Ten reached out and grasped Lucas’s (frankly enormous) hand in his, shaking it firmly as he spoke, “Hello and welcome to my house that I just so happen to let Mark live in.”

Ten’s tone was at least twelve times friendlier than he had originally intended but anyone who actually saw Lucas in person (and survived it) would forgive him. “Sit down and let me get you a drink. We have water, water, and...also water. Oh, and I think we have some soda if Mark is willing to part with a can.”

Mark looked indignant, “Hey, why are you making me sound like such a fucking miser?”

“Water’s fine, thank you!” Lucas interrupted good-naturedly as he plopped down onto the sofa, his long legs stretching out in front of him.

“Delightful. We’ll be right back,” Ten seized Mark’s bicep and dragged him into the kitchen.

“What the _fuck_ , Mark?” Ten hissed, his eyes narrowing.

“What now? What did I even do wrong this time?” Mark looked confused and angry at the same time as he shook his arm out of Ten’s grip and began rubbing it.

“Why did it never cross your mind to tell me that Lucas looks like he just walked off the cover of SuperELLE and into our living room?” Ten whisper-shouted as he filled a glass with water from the tap.

“Huh?” Confusion triumphed over anger on Mark’s face.

“He’s gorgeous! Do I need to spell it out for you?” Ten shut off the tap and set the glass on the countertop so he could throw his hands up in dismay.

“Oh, well, I mean, yeah, I guess he’s pretty good-looking...Why is that a big deal though?”

Ten almost growled, “Jesus Christ, sometimes I want to beat your het ass. Warn a man in the future. If I had known Adonis was coming for a visit, I would have at least tried to look _decent_.”

“Ten, you look fine, what are you talking about?” Mark was reaching all new levels of incomprehension as he tilted his head to appraise Ten’s outfit.

Ten didn’t even bother to grace that particular gem with a response, instead opting to collect the abandoned glass of water and gliding back to the living room, smacking Mark as he passed him.

“Owww!” Mark whined, holding his cheek and shuffling after him.

“So, Lucas, can you cook?” Ten asked, passing the water to him as he did so. “Because I can but would rather not and Mark can’t even fry an egg.”

Mark spluttered, “That was one time!”

Ten looked back at him, “Yes, because after you butchered that poor egg I swore to never, ever let you near one again.”

Lucas threw his head back and laughed, tapping his mirth out on Ten’s thigh with one palm. _Well, well, well, someone gets comfortable fairly fucking quickly_ , Ten thought.

“Do you want the good news or the bad news first?” Lucas asked, finally having ceased the laughter and the...grabby hands.

“Bad,” Ten said immediately.

“I can’t cook,” Lucas looked sheepish but not truly apologetic. “But I can eat!”

“That’s supposed to be the good news?” Mark interjected, seating himself to the other side of Lucas.

“Yes!” Lucas cried, looking way too pleased with himself and Ten tried to decide if it was endearing or annoying. Lucas grinned over at him and he made up his mind on sight.

“Well, you better be good at something, dear, because I can only have one leech living under my roof,” Ten leaned away as Mark tried to scratch him across Lucas’s broad back. “Speaking of which, do you want the grand tour?”

Lucas nodded emphatically and sprang up with more energy than should be legally allowed to occupy one body. Mark and Ten followed suit, Ten taking the lead as they moved into the kitchen.

“Given the topic of our most recent conversation, I suppose you can guess that this is the most used room in the apartment,” Ten quipped.

“Yo! You guys have a freezer,” Lucas wrenched the appliance open and stuck his head into its depths.

“Yeah, man, we can make popsicles and shit!” Mark replied with equal enthusiasm.

“I see the bar is low,” Ten muttered, leaning against the counter.

“I like strawberry-flavored ones!” Lucas offered, as though they were about to start concocting the frozen snack on the spot.

“I like banana! That goes well with strawberry,” Mark tossed back.

“Okay, when you two have quite finished your ménage-a-trois with the freezer section, could we move to the next room?” Ten snarked.

Mark had the decency to look askance but Lucas howled with laughter, closing the freezer unit and leaping back into the living room. Ten shrugged and placed his hand in Mark’s so the two of them could continue showing the place to the man who was ostensibly their guest but had somehow ended up leading this tour???

“I’ve seen this already,” Lucas said, gesturing to the living area with his impressive wingspan. “Where’s the bathroom?”

“Why, do you need to pee after one glass of water?” Mark was uncustomarily quick on his feet.

“No, I just can’t spend more than 30 minutes without looking in a mirror,” Lucas retorted, stroking his jawline.

Ten was almost dumbfounded. He was used to being the disgustingly confident one. Could these levels of self-assurance co-exist peacefully?

“Ugh,” Mark groaned, wearing the same expression he always graced Ten with after one of his particularly egregious self-congratulatory remarks.

Ten, ever one to support blatant self-love, pointed down the hall, “It’s at the end to the left. Lead the way, Narcissus.”

Lucas had the audacity to fucking _wink_ at him before scampering in the direction of the restroom, Mark hot on his heels. When Ten arrived, Lucas was exaggeratedly checking himself out while Mark attempted to claw at his face. Ten entered quietly and tapped the light switch. Suddenly, the three men stood in the dark and Mark screamed.

“Ten! Turn the lights back on!”

“My face! This beauty! Which I may no longer behold!” Lucas lamented, his long arms batting around as he attempted to locate the switch.

“Fine.”

The space was re-illuminated, revealing Mark’s sour expression, Lucas’s crestfallen countenance, and Ten’s face on which ‘I will fucking kill both of you with my bare hands’ might has well have been written in red ink.

Then all three of them started laughing hysterically.

***

“So, this is my crib,” Mark said proudly as he pushed open the door to his room.

“A fucking pig sty,” Ten followed, which, given his mess in the room that would become Lucas’s – should he choose to move in – was rather hypocritical, but the rules don’t apply to Ten so you can either accept that or leave.

“Oh, bro, this is cool! You have a bean bag chair,” Lucas flung himself down onto the green blob, his limbs splaying every which way.

“Yeah! Isn’t it awesome?”

Mark jumped on top of him.

“Do you have _any_ standards?” Ten asked from the doorway.

“Where did you get it?” Lucas asked, either not hearing Ten or ignoring him, which _ballsy_.

“Um, IKEA, I think?” Mark, not known for his incredible memory, supplied unsurely.

“I love IKEA, let’s go furniture shopping and get me one!” Lucas whooped, basically yeeting Mark as he stood up.

“Does that mean you want to move in?” Mark said eagerly, trying to stand up from where he’d been thrust onto the floor.

“Wait, wait, wait,” Ten broke up their little love fest. “At least look at your goddamn room before you reply to that.”

Lucas, shockingly, managed to keep his mouth shut and offered his arm to Mark so the poor soul could finally right himself. Then the three reentered the hallway. In order to reach the spare room, they would first have to pass Ten’s. As they approached his door, Mark reached out to twist the handle and Ten flew in front of him, blocking the way.

“No, we will not be entering Ten’s Sacred Space this fine afternoon,” he said smoothly. Mark and Lucas’s expressions of disappointment might as well have been copy-pasted from one of their faces to the other.

“Seriously, Ten, what are you even hiding?” Mark asked.

“Do you really want the answer to that?” Ten replied, gaze boring into Mark’s eye sockets.

“Okey dokey, that’s fine, let’s just go to my room!” Lucas placed a hand on each of their shoulders, heroically playing the mediator.

“Thank you, Lucas!” Ten beamed. “It’s so nice to see that Mark’s friends have more sense than he does.”

“Asshole,” Mark let out, looking like someone had kicked his puppy or maybe like he was the puppy that had been kicked.

Ten was determined to be unashamed about the state of the spare room (this was his house, _goddamnit_ ) so he swung open the door with gusto.

“Ta-dah!”

Lucas poked his head in inquiringly before the rest of his lengthy body followed. He raced to the window and pulled the curtains apart, letting sunlight flood the room.

“Wow! The lighting in here is terrific!” He looked like his birthday, Christmas, and some other equally exciting holiday had come simultaneously.

Mark, probably out of a need to avenge himself for an untold number of wrongs, chose this moment to draw attention to the boxes and clothes strewn around the room. “Ten stores all his extra stuff in here. I promise I’ll make him move it before you move in.”

“Oh, yeah, that’s no problem, man,” Lucas replied off-handedly from where he was still gazing excitedly out the window. Ten strolled over to join him, suddenly feeling he mightn’t be too intolerable to live with after all. His ability to so casually thwart Mark’s attempt at stirring up shit was _divine_.

“View’s not horrific, right?” Ten cast a sideways glance at the taller man.

“It’s really great! You can see the skyline super clearly. The place I lived in at my old school looked out on a parking lot. Which was cool sometimes because people do the weirdest stuff in parking lots, but it definitely wasn’t as beautiful as this,” Lucas finished breathlessly and Ten nearly found it cute. Nearly. This man was still a potential invader and must be treated as such.

“So, you like everything, then?” Mark asked, hitting Lucas’s back repeatedly.

“Yes, your place is awesome!” Lucas spun around, smiling and whacking Mark’s hands in return.

“You’ll come live with us?”

“Yes! I mean, if that’s okay?” Lucas looked over at Ten.

“Don’t look at me like that. If you’re willing to help me move the stuff in here to a storage unit, then yes,” Ten responded, looking miffed. “Oh, and you have to promise to dry the floor in the bathroom after showering. I absolutely cannot stand when I go in there and it looks like we’ve just survived the Great Flood, part two.”

“Sure, sure! I can do both,” Lucas replied, flexing his biceps in Ten’s face.

“Put your arms away, for fuck’s sake,” Ten snapped while stifling a chuckle and heading back to the living room.

Once they were all seated, Ten bid Lucas goodbye tersely (appearances will be kept up at all costs, no matter how pretty Lucas happened to be) and retreated to his room, leaving the two friends to chat privately. He flopped down on his bed and pulled out his phone, reading through the messages he’d missed.

 **Tae** | _so, has the new roomie come over yet?_

 **Tae** | _what’s he like?_

**Tae** _| Tell me!!!!!_

**10** | _He’s loud and,,,,,beautiful._

 **Tae** | _Wait rly? Like how beautiful?_

 **10** | _Words cannot describe his beauty. I am literally going to end Mark’s miserable life for this._

 **10** | _How the fuck am I supposed to say no to a beautiful man living in my house?!?!_

 **Tae** | _OMG eeeeek wait this is so exciting ten!_

**10** _| Exciting? Where? I am going to lose my mind, you fool._

**Tae** | _oh shut up. is he gonna move in for sure then?_

 **10** | _Unfortunately._

 **Tae** | _fortunately*_

 **10** | _Fuck off._

 **Tae** | _hehehehehe_

As Ten heard the door slamming, indicating Lucas’s departure, he placed his phone down on the bedside table and his face directly into a pillow.

“Ten? Come out. Lucas left,” Mark called.

“Leave me alone. I’m recovering,” Ten yelled back, his voice muffled by the cotton of the pillowcase.

“Recovering? Wait, you’re sick?”

Ten rolled over and suppressed a shriek. “No, you absolute dumbass, I’m just going through it because you brought a very handsome man into my home and subjected me to him for over an hour. You owe me dinner. At least.”

“I already bought you dinner last night!” Mark sounded offended as he cast open the door to Ten’s room. “Get up. Don’t you need to go to class?”

“Maybe. Maybe not. I’m sick, remember?”

“Didn’t you literally just say...You know what? Never mind. You make no sense, you freak.”

Mark shook his head like he was rethinking every choice that brought him to this exact moment and went into his own room, leaving Ten to extract himself from bed because he did in fact have class to go to.


	3. Step Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Food. Mostly.

Later in the same week Ten was in the spare room, poking around. Contemplating what he would move where rather than actually tidying anything up.

“Ten? Where you at?” Mark’s voice rang out from the other end of the apartment.

“I’m in the spare room. What do you want?” Ten flung back, tossing aside an All Time Low T-shirt. _When did I even like All Time Low???_

Mark appeared in the doorway, “Lucas asked me to hang out on Saturday, we’re not doing anything, right?”

Ten looked up, “Actually, we’re supposed to meet my sister for lunch.”

Mark seemed conflicted, “Oh, yeah, I forgot about that. Hmmm, I should tell Lucas no then.”

“Tell him to join us,” Ten said for some reason that he couldn’t fully identify and certainly wasn’t going to interrogate. He just didn’t like the idea of Mark having to reject Lucas and, besides, Tern lived to meet new people.

“Are you being serious?” Mark asked, quizzicality personified.

“Do I look like I’m joking?” Ten straightened and gestured at his face.

“No, but...okay, I’ll let him know! It’s that Korean place we like, right?” Mark pulled out his phone and started typing with his index finger because, yes, he was that type of a person.

“Yes. But tell him he has to pay for himself because I have neither the net worth nor the desire to finance the Hulk’s eating habits,” Ten pushed Mark into the hall, giving up on his pathetic attempt at organizing for the day.

“The Hulk? That’s good! I’m gonna tell him you said—” Mark stopped midway as Ten’s hands slowly began to tighten around his neck. “Or not.”

“Wise. Very wise,” Ten released him and flounced onto the sofa. “I have dance practice shortly. Are you still going to the basketball courts? Want to walk with me?”

“Oh, yeah, let me grab my bag!” Mark rushed to his room where Ten could hear things being lobbed around and quiet cursing.

Five minutes later, Mark reemerged looking askew but triumphant, “I’m ready!”

“Great. I’m not leaving for another fifteen minutes,” Ten coughed to hide his sadistic chuckles.

“You suck.”

“I do. Very well.”

“Ew, gross! Ten, why are you like this?” This time Ten didn’t bother hiding his laughter, falling off the sofa in the process.

***

Ten defaulted to frustration when his alarm startled him awake on Saturday morning. But once he recalled which day it was, excitement replaced the initial feeling. Due entirely to the fact that he would be spending time with his beloved sister and not at all because he’d be seeing L*cas.

In the kitchen, Mark was, somewhat inexplicably, consuming chips and salsa while playing Flappy Bird.

“That game still exists?” Ten asked disbelievingly as he rummaged around in the barren wasteland formerly known as Mark and Ten’s fridge. _Okay, maybe he needed to go food shopping._

“Yeah, if you never deleted the app,” Mark responded, as he tapped away at the screen.

“And, of course, you number amongst the addicts who never deleted it. Why am I not surprised?” Ten closed the fridge, resigning himself to the fact that aside from a cup of tea he was going to have to fast until lunch time.

“Does it take extra energy to be so salty this early in the morning? Or is that just your natural state?” Mark closed the game, put down his phone, and crossed his arms.

“Who taught you to talk to me like that?” Ten aggressively ripped open the wrapping of a tea bag and banged the cabinet closed after he pulled out a cup.

“Look in the mirror!” Mark guffawed as Ten threatened to pour hot water on him and left the kitchen, possibly going to get dressed but maybe just escaping Ten’s delightful morning mood.

“I told Lucas to meet us here and the three of us can walk over together, is that okay?” Mark seemed to only have gotten as far as the living room.

“What am I supposed to say? No? Why do you ask such perfunctory questions, Mark?” Ten responded unhappily between sips of tea.

“This is me giving you a warning that a beautiful man or whatever is about to be in your vicinity. Make up your mind, Ten! I don’t warn you, you yell at me. I warn you, you still yell at me. Make it make sense!” Mark sounded existentially exhausted.

“Fine, fine. Thanks, I appreciate it. Now I shall go beautify myself,” Ten stalked into the room and stood over Mark.

“Wait, you’re gonna get pretty for Lucas?” Mark’s shock was palpable.

“Fuck no. I am beautiful, and I enhance my beauty when I go out so that others may feel inferior,” Ten flicked Mark’s temple and sashayed into his room, leaving the other man’s protestations in his wake.

After lounging around for an hour or so, skimming through news articles and replying to emails, Ten showered and dressed. He picked out a pair of tight dark green trousers with patches of pleather, an oversized white button up, black Oxford’s, and a large black denim jacket. He put on a thin black choker and very lightly lined his eyes.

As he was finishing up in the bathroom, Mark came in to put some water in his hair and screw around with Ten’s makeup until the older man tried to bite him.

Around 12:30 the doorbell rang, Mark hurried to answer it, and suddenly the apartment was filled with Lucas’s resounding greetings.

“Ten! Hi! I missed you!” he shouted as he tried to embrace Ten.

“You what now?” Ten stretched his arms out protectively to keep Lucas at bay. Seeing he wasn’t going to get any from Ten, Lucas redirected his desire for physical affection to Mark who was far more receptive.

“I missed you!” Lucas reiterated as he and Mark fell clumsily onto the sofa.

“You just met me, heathen, put your feelings away,” Ten feigned disgust as he pocketed his wallet and began switching the lights off in the apartment.

“You’re on time, Lucas, I’m lowkey impressed,” Mark said into his friend’s shoulder.

“Oh, yeah, I figured if I wasn’t punctual Ten would give me his stabby eyes,” Lucas said as he righted himself and Mark.

“My what eyes? Do you have a death wish?” Ten screeched.

“My point exactly,” Lucas had the nerve to look satisfied. “Anyway, we’re meeting your sister, right, Ten?”

“Yeah. Tern – she’s super cool! Way cooler than Ten,” Mark answered. “You guys will get along really well.”

Ten facepalmed so hard he worried his last few brain cells may have finally been put to rest. “I swear, I am already regretting the moment I exited the womb and we haven’t even left yet. Let’s just go before I climb back into bed.”

“Here we come, Tern!” Mark and Lucas yelled in tandem as the three of them left the apartment and walked to the end of the hall. In the elevator, Mark and Lucas pulled faces in the glass while Ten typed out a message to his sister, letting her know they were on their way.

The midday May air was cooler than one might expect and Ten was glad for his coat, which he buttoned and tucked his hands into. Mark and Lucas were striding along, holding hands and letting out delighted whoops whenever they saw a cute dog.

“You two are like a comedy duo except instead of laughing I want to throw you off of some high place,” Ten might be like 2% sour about the fact that they were enjoying themselves so much and leaving him out.

“You couldn’t throw me off of anything, Ten, but I can throw you,” Lucas cried as he suddenly grabbed Ten around the waist and swung him over his shoulder.

“Holy fuck, put me down this instant,” Ten shrieked in horror.

“Don’t worry, I won’t drop you,” Lucas reassured.

“I would very much _like_ you to drop me, actually,” Ten flailed helplessly in Lucas’s grip. This was ridiculous. Ten was strong but Lucas was like a fucking brick wall.

Mark was dissolving in hysterics on the sidewalk and other pedestrians were casting them questioning glances. Seeming to take pity on his prey, Lucas finally lowered Ten to the ground and let him go. Ten smoothed out his clothing and very indignantly strolled ahead, pretending he did not in any universe know the two clowns stumbling along behind him.

Blessedly, the rest of the walk was uneventful - well, if you can call Mark and Lucas needlessly jaywalking and getting reprimanded by a c*p uneventful. At least, Ten wasn’t manhandled again. Tern was already at the restaurant when they arrived, and she began waving wildly when she caught sight of them through the window.

“Yeah, we’re with the woman losing her mind at the table in the corner,” Ten told the host sardonically.

“Okay, feel free to head over,” the person replied, at something of a loss.

The three men made their way to Tern’s table and settled around her. Ten on her to her right, Mark and Lucas facing them.

“Markie!” Tern lunged across the table, almost upsetting the glasses, as she pulled Mark into her arms.

“What the fuck? You choose to greet this miscreant before your own brother? Excuse me, while I call our parents and tell them to write you out of the will,” Ten griped as he prevented the tableware from meeting an untimely demise.

“Like they would listen to you,” Tern giggled as she released Mark and rubbed Ten’s head as if he wasn’t her _older_ brother. Then she turned back to the other side of the table and looked expectantly at Lucas, “Mark, introduce us!”

“Oh, yeah, Tern, this is Lucas. He’s gonna be our new roommate!” Mark joined their hands, imperiling the glasses yet again.

“Hi Tern! I hear you’re way cooler than Ten,” Lucas smiled powerfully enough to light up a small city.

“Your sources are impeccable,” Tern replied, her smile challenging Lucas’s for wattage.

“Oh. My. God. I understand that I have committed untold sins, but do I really deserve this?” Ten pretended to pull his hair out at its roots.

“Shut up, Tennie, your jealousy is showing,” Tern elbowed him as she dropped Lucas’s hand unceremoniously and opened the menu. Then she leaned over, and stage whispered in Ten’s ear, “You weren’t kidding, he’s fucking model material.”

If they didn’t share the same DNA, Ten would have slapped her directly out of her seat. Instead, he coughed loudly and peeled apart his own menu. Tern cackled, Mark began studiously inspecting his napkin, and Lucas swiveled his head back and forth like some sort of deranged chicken.

 _Well, this has started off wonderfully_ , Ten thought as he stared at the menu as if he wasn’t just going to order the same thing he always did.

“Tern, how’s life? How’s your design work going?” Mark asked as he evaded Lucas who was trying to grasp his earlobe with a pair of chopsticks.

“It’s like the best and worst thing that’s ever happened to me. Because obviously it’s awesome to be designing shit but at the same time you’re designing shit, ya feel? I run out of ideas, but my professors do not run out of assignments.” Tern closed her menu and placed her chin in her upturned palm, sipping from the glass of water that miraculously still stood before her.

“Do you go to the same college as Mark and Ten?” Lucas inquired, abandoning his pursuit of Mark’s ear in favor of joining the conversation.

“Yeah! I’m a first-year. What about you?” Tern’s eyes darted from Mark to Lucas.

“I’m in my second year, like Mark. I’m transferring to your school in the fall! I’m so psyched,” Lucas clapped just as the waiter appeared at the head of their table.

“Have you guys decided what you’d like to eat?”

“Yup, I’ll go first,” Tern piped up. “I’ll have the ramen with pork belly.”

“Firecracker wings,” Mark said, as if it totally made sense to exist solely on wings.

“Lucas, go ahead,” Ten said magnanimously.

“I’ll have the pork dumplings, the chashu ramen, and the bulgogi clay pot.”

Silence reigned. Even the waiter looked a little dumbfounded.

“Well shit, you can eat,” Ten’s voice contained the faintest hint of admiration. “I’ll have the tteokbokki, please.”

“Okay, should I just bring everything out as it’s ready?”

“Yes, please!” Lucas replied so fast the other three members of the group felt their heads spin.

“All right, anything you would like to drink in the meantime?”

“Is everyone okay with tea?” Ten looked at his companions.

“Sure!” Mark said, Tern and Lucas nodding to express their agreement.

“Tea, it is. Be right back!” The waiter collected their menus and returned to the kitchen.

***

The arrival of the food was an event worthy of permanent residence in Ten’s mind. Not because the tteokbokki was that good – it was good, but Ten had had it before. What he had _not_ experienced before was just how much Lucas enjoyed eating.

Lucas acted like every bite was saving his life and he tried each new dish like he’d never eaten anything ever before. He’d place a morsel in his mouth, his face would light up, and he would nod his head vigorously while holding his hand to his lips as he swallowed. Mukbang enthusiasts everywhere had no idea what they were missing.

“Everything is so, so, so good,” he gushed, while Tern slurped her ramen, Mark demolished his wings, and Ten considerately alternated between rice and fish cakes.

“Really? I couldn’t have guessed from the way you’re putting it away like the very idea of nourishment is going out of style,” Ten remarked. Lucas looked meek for all of four seconds before shoving another dumpling into his mouth.

“Your parents have been feeding you all this time and can still afford to send you to college?” Tern asked incredulously, never one for propriety or subtlety.

“Actually, my parents own a restaurant. It’s still up in the air whether they opened it to make feeding me easier or not!” Lucas replied gleefully.

“Wow, all my parents gave me was Tern,” Ten deadpanned, for which he received an unfairly hard punch in the arm from his sister.

“You should thank them for that, Ten,” Mark reprimanded, “And if you won’t, I will!”

“If you love Tern so much, why don’t you two become siblings and allow me to live the rest of my life happily?” Ten chased a rice cake around with his chopsticks.

“May I join the family?” Lucas asked, puppy eyes turned up to volume 11.

“Of course,” Tern crooned. “We’ll be the happiest family ever and Ten will just be a sad old man, destined to eternal lonesomeness. He won’t even have a cat!”

Lucas shook his head furiously, “No, no, that’s too mean, at least give him a cat.”

“I would thank you but I’m too busy feeling put out for a variety of reasons, so come seeking your gratitude at a later date,” Ten patted Lucas’s hand across the table while shooting gazes of immense yearning in the general direction of the waiter.

Dearest of all waiters caught his drift and came over, “Can I help you all with anything else?”

“Yes, the cheque!” Ten responded, barely trying to keep the relief out of his voice, “Split three ways. Put her and me on the same tab and those two on their own. Thank you.”

“No problem!”

“Wow, Ten, making your guests pay for themselves,” Tern chided.

“Do you want to pay for the mountain of food Lucas just consumed?”

“Point taken,” Tern looked over at Lucas apologetically, “I tried.”

“Thank you! The effort is greatly appreciated,” Lucas bowed. “Especially, since your brother is all...prickly.”

“Remember when I said I wanted to thank you earlier? I take it back. Seek nothing but ire from me,” Ten snarled.

Lucas tilted his head, “See? Prickly.”

The lunch may or may have not ended with Tern and Mark collectively trying to pry away Ten’s fingers from where they were clamped around Lucas’s neck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I figured this out: please DM me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/boudiccabitch) if you ever want to chat!


	4. Moonwalk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Studying, I guess? Oh, and Taeyong 🥰

Ten was sprawled on his bed, the late afternoon light streaming in through the window illuminating his facial features as he gently prodded Taeyong’s leg. The two of them were taking a break from studying for finals which were about to make their very much unwelcome arrival. Taeyong was working a series of tiny braids into Ten’s hair and humming softly.

Ten and Taeyong had met in their first year at a party, the proceedings of which Ten could no longer recall, and began hooking up periodically. With time, the nature of their relationship morphed, the physical intimacy falling to the wayside, as Taeyong became Ten’s closest friend. The occasional joke about their past trysts peppered their conversation but neither party felt a desire to resume them. In fact, Taeyong was currently attempting to woo a medical student, Jaehyun, something which Ten incessantly badgered him about.

“So, Yongie, how are things with Doctor Jae?” he teased.

“Please don’t ask. I see the man and my ability to form coherent thoughts takes a paid vacation,” Taeyong sighed long-sufferingly.

“Weak,” Ten scoffed. “Since when are you shy?”

“Since a literal god walked into my life.”

“Oh my god, you have barely talked to him and you’re already whipped, get out of my house.”

“As if you don’t say similar shit about Lucas!” Taeyong jabbed Ten’s cheek playfully.

“I do not!”

A knock resounded and Mark’s voice followed, “Y’all fucking in there?”

“Excuse you, we stopped doing that ages ago,” Ten replied, searching for something to throw at Mark when he inevitably entered the room.

“Just checking!” Mark chimed as he pushed open the door. “Hey Taeyong.”

“Mark, watch out!” Taeyong cried as one of Ten’s slippers hurtled through the air.

“You fucking traitor,” Ten growled as he tried to shove his friend off the bed.

Mark joined the fray and the three men ended up on the floor wrestling one another until Mark started tickling Taeyong and Ten took advantage of the distraction to gain higher ground on the bed.

Once Mark finally relented, Taeyong was ruby-faced and breathless, begging for mercy. Ten cast the two of them disapproving glances from where he sat perched amongst his pillows. Mark helped Taeyong up and seemed to recall why he had initially sought them out.

“Ten, Lucas wants to move in the week after finals, is that cool with you?” He asked.

“‘Cool’ is not the word I would use. You are perfectly aware of how I feel about this whole ordeal.”

“Ecstatic,” Taeyong purred and Ten tried to muffle him with his outstretched palm, but Taeyong licked him.

“So, is that a yes?” Mark’s features were becoming rapidly acquainted with impatience.

“That’s an 'if he must’,” Ten shot back as he wiped his hand on Taeyong’s hoodie and the other man tried to wriggle away from him.

“He’s gonna be so hyped!” Mark beamed as he sent a text message, presumably to Mr. GQ.

“That behemoth is excited by the simple fact that he breathes air,” Ten tried to sound boredly sarcastic rather than borderline affectionate.

“Come on, Ten, people who have a lust for life are cute!” Taeyong’s voice was irritatingly high and teasing.

Ten turned to look at him. “Why exactly are you still here?”

“The real question is: why is he still friends with you?” Mark gave Taeyong a pitying look as he left Ten’s room.

“Something I ask myself on the daily,” Taeyong murmured.

“You can leave at any time, no one’s tying you down,” Ten pointedly looked away from his friend.

“Oo, are you offering?” Taeyong cooed as he stroked Ten’s arm. “Actually, I do have to go. Bye, beautiful.” He kissed Ten’s cheek and rolled off the bed.

“See yourself out,” Ten made a heart with his hands, but remained otherwise motionless.

He heard Taeyong bid Mark goodbye and close the front door carefully behind him. _If only every other frequenter of this place was as considerate._

Ten repositioned himself so he was lying on his side, his head rested on his hands and stared out the window, watching drops of water as they meandered down the glass. Unbidden, his thoughts drifted to the prospect of Lucas moving in in roughly two weeks. There was the cleaning to be done, the moving around of boxes and furniture and miscellanea, the gradual acceptance of another person operating in a space that had been just his and Mark’s for so long. In Ten’s mind, it all seemed a little irritating and a lot tiring. He was relieved to think that at least he wouldn’t be dealing with school at the same time. He would have the whole summer to acclimate to Lucas’s presence and decide whether or not homicide was in order. However, what was increasingly becoming apparent to Ten was the looming possibility not of disliking Lucas but rather of liking him a little too much.

***

Ten was a fourth-year which normally would have meant this should be his last round of finals, but he’d chosen to do an additional year to complete his master’s and thus would have to endure two more finals seasons. So, while the majority of his friends celebrated their last ever week-express-shipped-directly-from-Hell, Ten slogged through knowing full well that he’d be back at it come December. His only consolation was that Mark was suffering right along with him.

“I swear if I look at this screen for one more minute my brain will melt and begin oozing out of my ears,” Mark whinged.

“Bold of you to assume there’s even a brain in there to melt,” Ten replied, not looking up from his notes, which he was rewriting and color-coding.

“I know it’s in there because it fucking hurts!” Mark banged his head against the table.

“I’m like 87% sure that your brain can’t even feel pain,” Ten said as he carefully highlighted a sentence with pale blue ink.

“Not the time, Ten. I’m literally on death’s doorstep and I will drag you along with me,” Mark aggressively shut his laptop and stood up. “I’m gonna make some coffee, want anything?”

“The will to live,” Ten’s voice was devoid of emotion.

“Yeah, pretty sure we’re fresh out of that. I’ll bring you a glass of water,” Mark was massaging his neck muscles as he walked into the kitchen. Mark had just returned with their drinks when the doorbell rang.

“Huh,” Mark looked puzzled. “Did you invite someone over?”

“No.” The bell rang again. “Better get that.”

“Coming! Coming!” Mark shouted as he made his way to the door and wrenched it open. “Oh, hey, I wasn’t expecting you!”

“Yeah, I was sitting in my house and I thought ‘I want to see Mark’ so I just came over,” Lucas’s voice boomed. “What’s up, man?”

“We’re just studying for finals,” Mark replied, shutting the door behind the taller man and following him into the living area. “Wanna join?”

“You do realize you do not live here yet, right?” Ten protectively covered his study materials as Lucas approached, well acquainted with his tendency to touch _literally everything_.

“But I will soon!” Lucas seated himself in one of the vacant chairs at the table and pulled his laptop out of his shoulder bag on which the words “you only live once” were embroidered. “Let’s study things!”

“That’s what I was trying to do before _someone_ interrupted me,” Ten tossed his head.

“Ignore him,” Mark said as he resumed his work. “He’s just being bitchy because Taeyong’s out partying and he can’t join him.”

“Who’s Taeyong?” Lucas’s curiosity couldn’t have been more clearly piqued.

“Ten’s boyfriend.”

“Tae is not my boyfriend, Mark. Why do you persist in the erasure of my singledom?” Ten finally put down his highlighter.

“You have a boyfriend?” Lucas’s eyes somehow seemed even bigger than normal.

“No, did you hear anything I just said? Taeyong is my best friend and while I love him very dearly, I would not date him.”

“Yeah, but you did used to—” Mark stopped upon receiving a pointed kick under the table.

“And now we will be moving on to far more relevant topics including getting your asses to work immediately,” Ten pinned Mark with his eyes and did not let up until the other man had begun typing again.

“Can I play some music?” Lucas seemed to know better than to pry further.

“If you insist. But if I don’t like it, we’re turning it off. End of story,” Ten said as he braced himself for whatever cacophony Lucas was about to subject them to.

When soft guqin music began to pour out the little portable speaker Lucas had set on the table, Ten and Mark looked up from their work simultaneously.

“What?” Lucas’s finger hovered over the pause button on his phone.

“Nothing,” Mark’s head snapped back down.

“This is okay then?” Ten had never heard Lucas sound hesitant before.

“Yes,” Ten replied, putting him out of his misery. Lucas grinned before focusing his attention on his computer screen.

Miraculously, everyone worked quietly and steadily for a few hours. Ten kept checking if Lucas was still even alive because he was truly struggling to grasp how he managed to remain silent for this long. And he seemed to be genuinely working, pausing occasionally to think and scrunching up his eyebrows. Ten mentally hit himself upside the head for assuming that just because Lucas was loud and chaotic, he didn’t also care about his studies. _Ten, you of all people should be better about this, you fucking hypocrite._

It was Mark who eventually broke the silence, “Okay, we need to eat food and I need a shower and also sleep should figure in somewhere at some point.”

“Thank fuck, I’m starving!” Lucas closed his laptop and hurled it into his bag. “Let’s get pizza.”

“Only if we have it delivered. I feel – and look – like warm refuse and will not be going anywhere,” Ten organized his papers and tucked them into a plastic folder.

“My trash wishes it looked that good,” Lucas side-eyed Ten.

“Are you flirting with me?” The words left Ten’s mouth before his brain fully processed them as a thought sequence.

“No,” Lucas tapped his chin. “Maybe?”

“Wellllll, this is awkward,” Mark looked like he was silently pleading for the ground to open up and swallow him. “What does everyone want on their pizza? I’ll call.”

Lucas and Ten looked away from one another and over at Mark.

“Sausage!” Lucas said with customary food-related fervor.

“Interesting choice,” Ten crossed his arms and cocked an eyebrow. Lucas cackled and hit the table, setting the whole thing a-wobble.

“Jesus Christ, I cannot do this anymore, I am leaving. Feed yourselves,” Mark’s expression suggested he was willing to start digging.

“Where would you even go?” Lucas was picking up a pencil that his antics had knocked off the table.

“I’ll have bacon,” Ten quit while he was ahead.

“Finally, thank you,” Mark stalked into the kitchen to place the call.

While Mark yelled down the phone line, Lucas lifted Ten and flung him onto the sofa, retreating to the bathroom at top speed when Ten jumped up and began making murderous gestures at him.

Mark came back in and sat next to Ten, asking as he did so, “Where’d Lucas go?”

“Hopefully, to flush himself down the toilet,” Ten grouched from under his hood which he had cinched tightly around his face. Mark laughed and leaned farther back into the sofa, pulling Ten with him.

Lucas reappeared, regrettably still in one piece, and prostrated himself across Mark and Ten’s laps despite their collective protest.

“Lucas, there’s like a whole empty section of the sofa, man!” Mark complained as he pummeled Lucas’s shoulder blades.

“Get this ass out of my face before I hit it,” Ten added despite keeping his hands entirely to himself.

“Do it,” Lucas looked back at him and wriggled his brows.

“Kinky,” Ten leered.

“Don’t you two start again!” Mark yelped. “Not in front of my fucking salad.”

Lucas flipped over so he could envelop Mark in a hug, “Don’t be jealous, Markie.”

“I’m not jealous! I don’t want to spank you, you weirdo,” Mark tried to extract himself from Lucas’s death grip.

“More for me,” Ten said, knowing he was treading dangerous ground and not really giving a fuck.

Then Lucas was doing a very convincing impression of a flailing beetle on the ground, laughing raucously all the while. Mark kicked at him half-heartedly with a socked foot. Ten brought his knees up under his chin and watched them, his stomach contracting from hunger.

“Let’s set the table,” he suggested once Lucas and Mark seemed to have exhausted themselves.

“Can I fold the napkins?” Lucas asked when the three of them were gathered in the kitchen, clinking dishware and banging cabinets.

“Uh, sure,” Mark gave him a questioning look, but Lucas had already carried the cloth squares into the adjoining room and didn’t elaborate further.

The pizza arrived shortly thereafter and Ten went to retrieve it, carrying the boxes to the living room and setting them down. As he did so, he caught sight of the napkins each of which had been folded into the shape of a boat. Ten smiled.

“Do you like my boats?” Lucas was doing his enormous puppy impression for the eleventh time.

“Yes, they’re very cute,” Ten focused on opening one of the boxes so he wouldn’t have to meet Lucas’s eyes.

“My grandma taught me how to make them before she passed away,” Lucas’s voice was quieter, and his demeanor softened.

Ten looked up then because he does have a heart, okay? “That’s really sweet, Lucas.”

They were saved from further tenderness by Mark who strolled in and screamed delightedly, “Yo, pizza and boats! These are so dope.”

“They can also be a hat!” Lucas placed his napkin on his head, all traces of nostalgia gone, and his former vigor restored tenfold.

Dinner was the usual circus: loud, drawn out, and replete with Lucas and Mark’s attempts to unseat one another. As Ten was taking the boxes down to the large dumpster behind their apartment building, he wondered if he would survive such an event every single night once Lucas moved in.

“Alcohol may be required,” he told the rat peering at him from beneath a ripped rubbish bag. When he reentered their apartment, Lucas was putting on his shoes.

“Leaving?” Ten asked as if that wasn’t abundantly clear.

“Yeah, will you miss me?” Lucas grinned as he straightened up.

“No, I was just going to warn you not to let the door hit you on the way out,” Ten toed off his own shoes.

“This ass is all yours, remember?” Lucas’s shit-eating grin was now threatening to rend his face. It took every ounce of Ten’s willpower not to let his jaw drop.

“Be _gone_ , thot,” Ten knew it wasn’t his wittiest comeback, but his brain was on its last straw and Lucas discombobulated him ever so slightly.

“Only because you asked so nicely,” Lucas sing-songed as he skipped out the door, shaking his hips with impressive rhythm.

Ten closed the door and leaned back against it.

“Death, please take me into your sweet, sweet embrace.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all, Shotaro's Relay Cam has me in all the SungTaro feels. WHY IS THEIR FRIENDSHIP SO PURE???


	5. Domino

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Move in!!!

Somehow, everyone survived finals with only two episodes of hysterics (we will not name names), one missed alarm, and an inhuman amount of instant noodles. Ten even felt fairly confident that he’d done well in all his subjects. Mark, on the other hand, whined at least once an hour, “What if I failed the econ exam?” 

“If you failed that test, I am going to berate your professor myself because I watched you study for three fucking days,” Ten replied bitterly after what must have been the twenty-second outburst.

“You’d do that for me?” 

“No, I’d do that for _me._ I am beyond sick of your bitching,” Ten was emptying his folders into the rubbish and ripping the used pages out of his notebooks. 

“Have I been complaining a lot? I’m sorry, Ten, I don’t know, I’m just really nervous,” Mark looked down at his feet. 

Ten ceased his End of the Semester Dump Fest and stepped towards the younger man, “Oh, baby, come here.” 

Mark allowed himself to be hugged and rested his head on Ten’s shoulder. “I’m afraid I’ll do badly, and mom and dad will be disappointed. I’m probably worrying unnecessarily and being super dramatic...”

“A little bit, but it’s okay. The collegiate system is totally fucked and entirely designed to make us feel horrible about ourselves. I should have been more considerate. Let’s do something fun tonight, okay?” Ten lifted Mark’s chin so he could look at him properly. 

“Yeah, let’s. Can we get ice cream and sit by the pond? I wanna feed the ducks.” 

“Sure! We’ll go after dinner,” Ten released Mark and resumed his attempt to destroy the physical manifestation of four months’ worth of pedagogically unsound practice. 

“Hey, Ten?”

“I know what you’re about to ask and no, you cannot bring Lucas. I do not feel like dragging his ass out of the pond after he’s fallen in trying to catch a duck.” Nice!Ten had very much left the chat. 

“Okay, okay, you’re right. It’ll be nice with just us, anyway,” Mark said, nodding. “Especially, since he’ll be moving in on Wednesday.” 

“Is there a reason you keep reminding me of that sad fact?” Ten brought his remaining school supplies into the living room as he spoke. 

“Stop pretending you’re not looking forward to it,” Mark trailed behind him, stooping to retrieve a paper that had fallen. “You like him.” 

“I do not know what put that incredibly stupid idea into your head, but please remove it.” 

“What? My head?” Mark touched his neck protectively. 

“I meant the idea, but that also works,” Ten snatched the paper Mark was holding and stomped into his room, slamming the door behind him. 

“Your behavior isn’t really doing your credibility any favors,” Mark shouted. 

“Sorry, could you repeat that? It sounded like you were saying you didn’t want ice cream after all,” Ten’s voice was at equally as obnoxious a volume. 

“I’m gonna bribe one of the ducks to peck you.”

Ten reopened his door in order to deliver his closing remarks in a steady drawl, “I’m quaking in my fucking boots.” 

***

On Wednesday morning, Ten purposely slept in as late as he possibly could. He knew if he got out of bed any earlier, he’d end up wandering around the house listlessly leaving himself wide open to clowning from That Little BitchTM. After exhausting himself the previous evening by finally organizing the spare room, placing everything loose into boxes so it all could be easily moved when Lucas arrived, he’d slithered under the covers and passed out in minutes. 

Now he was cocooned in bed, the blanket pulled up over his head, texting Tern. 

**Ternt** | _Lucas moves in today right??????_

 **10** | _Lucas invades today, yes._

 **Ternt** | _Are you excited?_

 **10** | _Now, why the fuck would I be that?_

 **Ternt** | _Because Incredibly Loud and Extremely Gorgeous is going to be living in your home in a few hours!! why else??_

 **10** | _I still fail to see how I should be anything other than vaguely terrified._

 **Ternt** | _Terrified?? Lucas is a giant baby! nobody could be less scary if they tried_

 **10** | _He’s a giant pain in my ass._

 **Ternt** | _You wish_ 😏😏

**10 |** _*blocked*_

The door clicked open and a pillow collided with Ten’s head. Mark was really such a joy to reside with. Ten sat up and screeched, “Get your skank ass pillow out of my bed!” 

“Only if you get _your_ skank ass out of bed,” Mark walked in and ripped the covers off Ten, tucking them in at the bottom of the bed. 

“It is summer. I will stay in my bed as long as I wish and you will leave me the fuck alone,” Ten reached down in an attempt to retrieve the bedclothes. 

“I will not! Lucas is coming in like an hour and he asked if we could help him bring his stuff up here,” Mark thwarted Ten’s endeavors by pulling him to his feet. 

“You help him. He’s your friend,” Ten began angrily rummaging through his closet.

“He’s about to be roommate to the both of us,” Mark pointed out. “At least, come hold open some doors.” 

“The doors have accessibility buttons. You woke me up for this?” Ten whined as he inspected a pair of denim Bermuda shorts. 

“No, I woke you up so you wouldn’t miss one of the most exciting moments of your life,” Mark was making the bed now. 

“Why do people keep using this word ‘exciting’? Do y’all even know what it means?” 

“Mhmm,” Mark hummed. “Keep it up, Ten, you’re almost convincing.” 

Ten wasn’t going to rise to the occasion, he’d shower instead. When he walked into the kitchen half an hour later, in search of something to fill his empty stomach, Mark was holding a bowl of Fruit Loops out to him. An olive branch. Ten accepted, more out of hunger than gratitude. 

“I like your shirt,” Mark said, tugging at the article of clothing which read “Here and Queer” in large block letters. 

“I’d get you one but you’re boring and het-er-o-sex-u-al,” Ten over-enunciated each syllable of the final word. 

“I’m not boring, and I’m not even sure about the heterosexual part these days,” Mark’s voice trembled infinitesimally. 

“Wait, what?” Ten’s hand paused halfway to his mouth, milk and cereal falling from the spoon. 

“There’s this guy. He was in my econ class. We studied together a few times. And I dunno, he’s kinda cute,” Mark’s face was most definitely reddening. 

“Oh. My. God.” Ten gushed as he started eating again. “This might be the best day of my life after all.” 

“Ugh, I never should have told you. Now you’ll be unbearable,” Mark facepalmed. 

“Think of it as a little gift in return for all the ones you’ve so kindly given me regarding Daddy Longlegs,” Ten knew that epithet would come back to haunt him. RIP. “What’s his name?” 

“Donghyuck. He’s also going into his third year. We follow each other on IG. I want to ask him to hang out but…” Mark looked sheepish. 

“But what? Where’s your phone? I’ll do it,” Ten’s head rotated wildly. “You can’t miss your big gay moment, Mark.” 

“No, Ten, you’ll scare him away!” Ten was spared from responding to that particular unfounded statement by the doorbell ringing. 

“I’m here!” Lucas hollered. 

“And?” Ten yelled back.

“Let me in!” Lucas was clearly laughing. 

“What’s the magic word?” 

“Don’t answer that,” Mark said as he opened the door and was immediately leapt upon by Lucas, who was wearing a headband and...no shirt???

“ _Where_ are your clothes?” Ten’s voice didn’t climb a few octaves, it most certainly did not. 

“Oh, yeah,” Lucas glanced down at his chiseled ab bands. “I got really hot moving everything around, so I took my shirt off. It’s probably somewhere in the truck.” 

“Find it! Put it on! My eyes!” Ten covered the upper half of his face and turned aside. 

Mark was looking back and forth between them, his lips twitching with poorly concealed laughter. 

“Come on, let’s head down and get your stuff, man,” Mark rubbed his hands together and guided Lucas back into the hall. Ten followed reluctantly, making a big show of looking anywhere but at Lucas. 

“Do you have a lot of things?” He asked. “Why do I feel like you definitely have a lot of things?” 

“You’re one to talk,” Mark said sarcastically. 

“I do have quite a bit of stuff, yeah. But most of it is still in storage. I’ll bring it later. I figured I’d just bring a little bit now since you might not have had a chance to move your things out yet,” Lucas was impulsively stabbing the elevator request button. 

Ten was moderately touched by Lucas’s apparent thoughtfulness. Touched enough not to respond with some snarky comment, letting Mark reply in his stead. 

“Ten organized everything last night but the boxes are mostly still in there. Should be room for your bed though!” 

Lucas looked at Ten appreciatively, “Thank you! I just have a mattress. I hate bed frames.” 

Ten rolled his eyes, “A heathen among us. Do you have to work for this level of Chad-ness or does it come naturally?” 

“Everything about me is natural, babe,” Lucas said, posing in the mirrored walls of the elevator. 

Ten was grimacing and Mark was giggling as they headed out to the U-Haul Lucas had parked on the street in front of their building. They took turns carrying boxes up to their living room – yes, Ten did more than play unofficial doorperson – making light work between the three of them. 

“Okay, I’m just gonna go return this now,” Lucas said as he stepped up into the truck once they’d finished emptying it. “Do you have a key for me yet? I want to let myself in when I come back!” 

“No,” Ten replied.

“Yes,” Mark countered, pulling the key out of his pocket. “Here it is.” 

“Yeehaw!” Lucas cried, swiping it up. “See you in a minute, losers.” 

“Bye-bye,” Mark waved as Ten flipped Lucas off. 

***

While Lucas was away, Mark and Ten swapped Ten’s stuff out for Lucas’s in the spare room and, with a lot of cursing and tripping, lugged his enormous mattress in there as well. They even made it up for him. _How the mighty have fallen_ , Ten thought forlornly. 

Lucas returned, unlocking the door and opening it, only to relock it and step back out so he could unlock it again. Ten and Mark watched him from the sofa, sodas in hand. 

“You have seen a door before, correct?” Ten mocked. 

“Come off it, Ten,” Mark said, whacking him. “Let a man live a little.” 

“I’m letting him live here, is that not enough?” Ten gulped down the rest of his soda for emphasis. 

“Homies!” Lucas sat down between them, placing an arm around each of their shoulders. “This is awesome, now I can see you guys every day.” 

Mark high-fived him and Ten groaned for a good fifteen seconds, “Top ten reasons I should open that window and allow myself to fall out of it.” 

“I’ll catch you,” Lucas said, squeezing him. 

“That defeats the purpose, idiot,” Ten pinched his arm. 

“If you die, who will I annoy?” Lucas pretended to wipe away a tear. 

Ten wordlessly pointed at Mark. 

“What the hell? Leave me out of this!” 

“You reap what you sow, bitch,” Ten patted Mark’s head as he got up to fetch Lucas a drink. 

When he returned, Lucas was peering quizzically at the boxes. “Why do they look different than they did an hour ago?” 

“Because they’re not the same boxes, genius,” Ten tossed him a can of ginger ale. “We moved yours into your room.” 

“Really? You guys are the best!” Lucas wrenched Mark up off the sofa. “Let’s go jump on my bed.” 

The two of them scampered down the hall like oversized leprechauns, whooping and whistling. Ten walked at an even pace like a normal, civilized adult. 

“Wow, you made my bed,” Lucas observed despite not hesitating a second to begin hopping on it. Mark joined him and they grasped each other’s hands to steady themselves. Ten contemplated whether this qualified as babysitting or not. 

“Mostly Ten did,” Mark puffed out. “Fitted sheets or whatever they’re called, give me hives. You pull them around one corner and somethefuckhow they pop off another. Hateful invention.” 

“Thanks, Ten! Come jump with us,” Lucas said, reaching out to him. Ten, though he knew the outcome would be nothing short of catastrophic, acquiesced. Which was how the three of them ended up a tangled mass of limbs several minutes later. 

“How’d I lose a sock?” Mark asked. 

“More importantly, Lucas, why is your pinky stuck through my earring?” Ten was six seconds away from a hissy fit. 

“Dunno, it just ended up there, I guess,” Lucas responded as he gently eased his finger out. “Would you like me to stick it somewhere else?” 

“I would like you to leave.”

“But this is _my_ room now,” Lucas sounded like he’d won the battle _and_ the war. 

“Oohhh,” Mark howled and Ten kicked him.

“Shut up, you filthy turncoat. Go find your sock!”

“Here it is!” Lucas dangled a ragged black item uncomfortably close to Ten’s face. 

“Mark, take your goddamn sock before I murder Lucas with it.”

“How would you kill me with a sock?” 

“Ever heard of asphyxiation?” Ten feigned a lunge in Lucas’s direction, almost tumbling off the bed in the process. 

“Can I have my last meal first? I’m hungry,” Lucas queried, catching Ten before he fell. 

“Are you ever anything else?” Mark quirked an eyebrow. 

“Well, sometimes I sleep. But I have been caught sleep-eating so I’m gonna go with: no?” 

“We should go out. To celebrate the rest of my life, which is shaping up to be far less joyous than the first twenty-two years were.” Ten stood up and straightened out his top.

“Yes! Can we get Thai food? I know a place,” Lucas was standing now as well. “By the way, nice shirt.”

“Thanks, want one?” Ten asked for the hell of it or rather because he was still riding the high of Mark’s earlier revelation. 

“Yes.” Lucas didn’t even have to think.

“Really?”

“I’m pan,” Lucas shrugged. 

“Well, that clears that one up. I’m gay as fuck, in case that wasn’t abundantly clear,” Ten smirked. 

“And I’m confused,” Mark wasn’t going to be left out. 

“That’s okay, sweetie,” Ten smiled devilishly. “We’re gonna message Donghyuck from the restaurant and start clearing things up for you.”

“Who’s Donghyuck?” Lucas was unpacking clothing and a towel. 

“The boy Markie has a crush on!” Ten was almost giddy. 

“I don’t have a crush on him!” 

“Sorry, buddy, but I’m not buying it,” Lucas began stripping because apparently basic decency didn’t factor into his vocabulary. 

“We’ll be leaving now!” Ten yanked Mark along with him. “Showers and we leave in an hour, okay?”

“Uh huh,” Lucas was undoubtedly fully naked now and Ten very politely resisted the urge to check. 

After a lot of griping about loss of water pressure and temperature, the trio called a Lyft, piled into it, and Lucas interrogated the driver all the way to the restaurant. They were seated in a rounded booth, Mark between Lucas and Ten. A waiter brought them water and chopsticks.

“Do you think I could eat a whole duck?” Lucas asked, squinting at the menu, and Ten braced himself for what was going to be an extremely long night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope everyone's doing well!!! sending good vibes 🌱


	6. King of Hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Very, very fluffy.

The first week after Lucas’s arrival in the apartment passed swiftly and Ten, in spite of his strenuous efforts to the contrary, found himself growing used to being awakened by Lucas shouting after stubbing his toe or finding Lucas in the bathroom furiously scrubbing the floor after taking a shower. 

“You remembered,” Ten was mildly surprised. “Ten points to Hufflepuff.” 

“How’d you know I’m a Hufflepuff?” Lucas pushed his hair out of his eyes. 

“Do you really have to ask? I might hate you but even I can admit that you’re...sweet,” Ten’s expression suggested he had just sucked on a lemon. Or two. 

“You don’t hate me.” 

“Don’t push your luck, dear,” Ten stepped around Lucas so he could reach his face cream and began applying it. “What’re you doing today?” 

“Why, you wanna do something with me?” Lucas stood behind him, their eyes meeting in the mirror.

“Just answer the question,” Ten capped the cream and put it back on the shelf.

“I’m going to the supermarket. I need a summer job,” Lucas replied, his fingers appearing above Ten’s head in an imitation of bunny ears.

“Like anyone would want to hire _you._ ” Lucas actually looked injured so Ten followed up with, “I’m kidding. Good luck!” 

“Thanks, Ten,” Lucas smiled, flashing his beautiful teeth, and the two men parted ways. Ten sequestered himself in his room in order to finally trawl through the fifty plus emails he’d been ignoring since the end of the school year. He knew Lucas had left when he heard the door slam, an indescribably irritating habit Ten had been thus far unable to break him of. 

Mark had gone to the park earlier that morning to meet Donghyuck. Lucas and Ten’s combined forces had succeeded in encouraging him to set up a date and, after much angsting and changing of shirts, Mark had set off. Or rather had been thrust out the door by Lucas and prevented from coming back in by Ten who deadbolted it. 

Thinking about what Mark was up to inevitably led to Ten considering Lucas and the burgeoning not-feelings he had for him. Which then led to him rolling around on his bed making little dying cat noises and lamenting to the air molecules around him, “I cannot _believe_ my life is becoming ‘and they were roommates.” 

He was stirred out of his pity party by the lock clicking and...was that a bark???

“Ten, come here!” 

Ten did as he was bidden and squealed when he was confronted by what awaited him in the living room. 

Lucas was standing a few steps from the door, a small brown dog cradled in his hands. 

“Lucas, what on Earth? Why do you have a puppy? You can’t just buy random animals,” Ten could feel his blood pressure skyrocketing.

“I didn’t buy her,” Lucas defended himself as he stroked the dog’s head. “I found her on the sidewalk. She’s lost. Or abandoned.” Lucas looked like he was about to burst into tears at the prospect of the latter.

“Her? Does she have a collar?” Ten stepped closer to pet the dog, unable to restrain himself because _ohmygodshewassocute._

“No, I, uh, I checked,” Lucas winced when Ten frowned at him. 

“Of course, you did, fucking pervert,” Ten’s voice lacked any real force as he tried to decide which was more adorable: the dog or Lucas holding the dog. 

“I promise I’ll call Animal Control and see if someone’s looking for her. But can she stay here for now?” 

Ten caved under the collective onslaught of Lucas’s puppy eyes and the dog’s literal puppy eyes. “Yes, fine, but if she pees on the carpet, you can kiss your ass goodbye.” 

“Will you kiss it too?” Lucas lowered himself onto the sofa, the puppy nestled in his lap. 

“The only reason I’m not ending you right here and now is because there is a child present,” Ten replied, pulling out his phone and handing it to Lucas. “Here, you’re calling Animal Control.” 

“Okay, okay. What’s the number?”

“Google it, Doctor Doolittle,” Ten took the dog from Lucas and kissed her nose. “Hiya, baby, aren’t you precious?”

When Lucas hung up and placed Ten’s phone on the table, Ten stared at him expectantly.

“They said no one’s called about her yet. But they’ll let me know if the situation changes. Weirdly, they didn’t ask me to bring her in.” 

“As if you wouldn’t have charmed them out of the idea if they had.”

“Does Mark like dogs?” Lucas asked as he made an effort to reclaim the puppy from Ten.

“Do you think I would live with a psychopath?” Ten kept a firm but gentle hold on his wriggly little prize, who seemed to be some sort of cocker spaniel mix. 

“I guess not. Two psychopaths in the same house would be one too many.” 

“There is no need to take such blatant advantage of the fact that I cannot exact revenge on you right now.”

“You’re right. But it _is_ fun so I’m gonna do it anyway,” Lucas tossed his hands up as though some outside power governed his actions rather than his own brain. 

“Take your dog,” Ten deposited the puppy on Lucas’s knees. “I need a drink.”

“It’s one?” The dog was licking Lucas ecstatically. 

“It’s five o’clock somewhere,” Ten poured himself a finger of vodka and filled the rest of the glass with lemonade. He found a mini umbrella in the cutlery drawer and placed it in his drink because, that’s right, he’s an extra bitch. 

Ten returned to the living room and Mark opened the front door at the same time. 

“Welcome home, lover boy,” Ten tasted his beverage and nodded slightly to himself. 

Mark was grinning from ear to ear as he skipped to the sofa, drawing up short when he saw the puppy. Between the joy of a date gone well and the surprise of the dog, he seemed moments from being launched into the next life. 

“How was it?” Lucas pressed, figuratively pulling his friend back from the edge. 

“Oh, it was great! I mean, Donghyuck clowned me every time I said anything, and he tried to push me into the pond at least three times, and when we were eating lunch, he kept stealing my food. But it was fun,” Mark was speaking so fast the words tripped over themselves as they flooded out of his mouth. “Now, what’s with the dog?”

“Take a wild guess,” Ten was perched on the arm of the sofa poking the ice cubes in his drink with the umbrella. 

“Lucas, you bought a dog?” Mark’s tone was a balancing act between excitement and concern.

“No, I found her when I was coming back from the supermarket and she was alone, so I brought her home with me. She probably belongs to someone and just escaped. We called Animal Control.” 

“Is she staying here for the night though?”

“Yeah,” Lucas motioned for Mark to hold the puppy.

“Oh my god,” Mark’s volume was worthy of Lucas. “We have a dog!”

“You will not have a tongue if you keep up that shrieking,” Ten eyed his empty glass. _Fuck, I might need another one._

***

The next morning Ten found Lucas writhing around on the floor while the puppy, temporarily dubbed ‘Monster’ for reasons somewhat hazy to Ten, chomped on his ears and emitted tiny yelps every time she managed to sink her teeth into his flesh. 

“I will not film this, I will not film this,” he chanted under his breath but found his hands had other plans and recording was mysteriously already in progress. 

“Put it on Snapchat,” Lucas captured Monster between his palms, burying his nose in her fur. 

“Put what on Snapchat?” Ten slipped his phone into his back pocket.

“You were totally taping us just now.” 

“I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“If the phone pointed directly at me wasn’t enough proof, the look on your face certainly was.” Lucas’s countenance puckered in an expression of flagrant adoration, “ _Oh, Lucas and Monster are soooo cute, I must preserve this moment forever and ever._ ”

“Monster is definitely cute. You, conversely, are god’s curse upon humanity,” Ten hoped the venom in voice would serve to mask his dismay at being so unforgivingly called out. 

“Monster!” Mark’s wet hair dripped all over the ground as he skidded past Ten. 

“Is the hair dryer broken? Did we run out of towels? _Again_?” Ten asked. 

“Um, no?” Mark was nuzzling Monster, who yowled appreciatively. 

“Then, please explain to me why you resemble a used mop?” 

“He was just really excited to see Monster, so he didn’t dry his hair properly,” Lucas elbowed Mark and the two of them nodded energetically, looking up at Ten. 

“Unfuckingbelievable,” Ten sighed as he decided he had much better things to do. Like brewing tea and gazing wistfully into the fridge, which since Lucas’s descent upon their home was in a permanent state of vacuity. 

The kettle whistled and Ten’s phone vibrated in his pocket. 

“Hello?” 

_You called about a lost dog yesterday, right?_

“Yes, are there any updates?” Ten’s heartbeat accelerated even though he knew perfectly well that he should be relieved that the dog most likely needed to go back. 

_Yeah, Susan, her owner, is here now. Could you bring her to the station?_

“Sure, we’ll have her over in 20.” 

_Awesome. The dog’s called Chelsea, by the way._

Okay. See you soon. Bye! 

_Peace._

Ten hung up and strolled back into the living room, “I have bad news and even worse news.”

“Oh?” Lucas and Mark asked at the same time because, apparently, they had some sort of mind meld. 

“The bad news is that Monster’s owner showed up.”

“And the other part?” Mark supplied on queue.

“The dog’s actual name is fucking Chelsea.” 

***

Actually getting to the station was a whole ordeal. Monster, or rather _Chelsea_ , was easy enough to convey thanks to one of the cardboard boxes still lying around from the move-in. But Lucas was inconsolable. 

“I’m just gonna miss her so much,” he not-so-fake-sobbed. “My little doggo! My beautiful baby!” 

“Lucas, get yourself together,” Ten was having none of it. “You knew this was going to happen all along.” 

“I knew, but in my heart, I had not accepted it,” Lucas was wiping at his eyes with one of Mark’s shirtsleeves. 

“There will be other dogs, don’t worry,” Mark patted his friend on the head awkwardly. 

When they arrived at the Animal Control headquarters, Ten turned to the other two and said in his most ironclad ‘don’t you even think about fucking with me’ voice, “You two stay out here. Mark, find some way to restrain him.” 

“Wait, wait, let me give my truest love her goodbye kiss,” Lucas sniffled and picked the puppy up, letting her slobber all over his face. 

“Okay, that’s enough making out with the poor animal,” Ten reclaimed Chelsea and marched inside, Lucas’s melodramatic cries floating after him. 

The relief that rippled across Chelsea’s owner’s entire body was almost worth all the shit Ten had waded through to make it happen. Almost. After all, Susan could never be forgiven for having misplaced the puppy in the first place. Okay, Ten might have gotten a little attached. Shoot him. 

Back outside Mark and Lucas were engaged in an intense wrestling match, both of them covered in dirt and sweat. 

“I leave you two creatures for a few minutes and all hell breaks loose. Where were you raised? A zoo?”

“Don’t talk about zoos. They make me think of Monster and then I’m sad,” Lucas’s palm was flat against Mark’s forehead, keeping the smaller man at bay. 

“If you two quit your antics and come home now, we can make popsicles,” Ten was at his wits’ end and bribing Lucas with dessert seemed like a viable last resort.

“Popsicles!” Lucas set off down the street, practically galloping, leaving Mark to rebalance himself when the equal and opposite force he’d been resisting was suddenly no more.

At the apartment, Ten blocked the entryway to the kitchen with his body. “Showers first. You two look like you were dragged through a whole hedge. Repeatedly.”

Mark and Lucas returned with such celerity that Ten wondered if they’d each stood under the water long enough for it to fully wet them or, god forbid, if they’d showered _together._

“Popsicle time,” Lucas slapped the counter and Ten gestured at him menacingly with the knife he was using to chop the bananas and strawberries they’d purchased on the way home. 

“Mark, get the blender and the molds. Lucas, just sit there and look pretty, I don’t trust you with any kitchen implements.” 

“You think I’m pretty, Ten?” Lucas was batting his eyelashes and biting his lip. 

“I think you’d look really gorgeous in a coffin,” Ten’s smile was like cyanide. 

“I didn’t know you were a necrophile,” Mark said as he poured water into the blender while Ten added the bananas. 

“How could he be anything else?” Lucas responded. “He threatens to kill everyone around him at least twice a day.” 

“I think you both should reflect on why I often consider my life better off without you in it,” Ten turned on the blender, drowning out their replies. 

The strawberries got the same treatment as the bananas and Mark and Ten carefully poured the mixtures into the molds. Lucas contributed nothing at all by occasionally dipping his finger into the pureed strawberries and licking it. 

“They have to set,” Ten said, placing the molds into the much beloved freezer. “Go find something to do with yourselves that doesn’t involve me.” He washed his hands, located his phone, keys, and wallet and promptly vacated the apartment. Both Mark and Lucas demanded to know where he was going but he took the liberty of ignoring them.

Sometime the evening before, Ten had had a thought. A rather well thought out thought, he might add. And now he was going to execute upon it. 

The door of the animal shelter jingled when he opened it. The receptionist smiled at him, asking, “How can I help you?”

Ten removed his sunglasses. “Do you guys have any jobs or volunteer positions open at the moment?” 

“Actually, one of our employees just moved home after graduating. Are you interested in applying?” The woman (her pronouns were displayed on her name tag, _I like this place already,_ Ten thought) pulled out a form. 

“No, but I have a friend who might be. Can I take the form to him?” 

“Of course! Just have him drop it off when he’s completed it.” She handed Ten the paper and he accepted it with a nod. 

“If you don’t see him later today, I’ll be shocked,” Ten was disgusted by the affection creeping into his voice. 

“Can’t wait!” The receptionist, Ofra, laughed. 

“You’ll sing a different tune when you actually meet him,” Ten warned. 

Now Ofra was _really_ laughing and Ten waved to her as he left. 

***

“Where were you?” Lucas barely let Ten take off his shoes before he was all up in his face. 

“Getting this,” Ten gave him the form. 

“What is it? _Oh_.” Realization dawned on Lucas’s sculpted features. 

“You said you were looking for a job yesterday and I’m assuming you didn’t have any success at the grocery store,” Ten tried to appear as disinterested as humanly possible. 

“Yeah, they’re not hiring right now,” Lucas was reading through the form. “Wait, Ten, this is perfect. Thank you so much.” Lucas attempted to take him in his arms, but Ten ducked and ran further into the apartment. 

“Don’t make me regret it,” Ten snapped as he placed the top part of his hair into a little ponytail. “The receptionist said to fill it out and drop it off with her as soon as you can.

“I’ll do it now!” Lucas was already tearing around in search of a pen. 

“Figured.” 

Mark materialized, holding his iPad, one AirPod in. “Oh, you’re back.” 

“And he got me a job!” Lucas was scribbling away at the table. 

“Where?” Mark removed the AirPod. 

“At the animal shelter.” 

“Dude, no way! That’s sick,” Mark was looking at Ten, sending him silent questions with his eyes. Ten stared back at him blankly. 

“Right?! I am gonna pet so many puppers!” The chair scraped across the floorboards. “I’m going to bring this to them now. I’ll be back in a flash.”

“By all means, take your time.” Ten was tapping out a text to Taeyong.

**10 |** _I’m in deep shit._

**Tae |** _why??_

**10 |** _I am experiencing feelings._

**Tae |** _so is everyone else, you ain’t special_

**10 |** _I’m not everyone._

**Tae |** _this is about lucas right??_

**10 |** _Mayhap._

**Tae |** _so thats a yes_

**Tae |** _ask him out already_

**10 |** _Not in a month of fucking Sundays._

**Tae |** _why not????_

**10 |** _Because I hate him._

**Tae |** _it rly rly doesn’t sound like you do_

**10 |** _I know what I feel._

**Tae |** _sure ten sure_

**Tae |** _can i come over soon? i wanna meet him! i just know he’s probably even beautifuler in person_

**10 |** _Wax poetic elsewhere._

**10 |** _Tomorrow’s fine. Any time after noon._

**Tae |** _Okay boo_ 😘

Thirty minutes later, Lucas crashed back in through the door, his eyes ablaze. 

“I gave Ofra my application. She says I’ll probably get the job. I’m going in for an interview on Monday.” He was clutching a brown paper bag in his left hand. 

“They have no idea what they’re in for,” Ten said, vaguely wondering what was in the parcel. 

“They’ll love me. Especially the doggies! Ofra let me pet a rescue that came in recently and I nearly wept. There were tears in my eyes,” Lucas pointed emphatically at the organs in question. 

“Wonderful,” Ten and stoicity had become bedfellows. 

“I got you something,” Lucas reached into the bag. “To say thank you.” 

When Ten raised his head, Lucas was holding a small potted orchid, its petals a deep purple. 

“I hope you like plants,” Lucas’s smile was small, hesitant. 

Ten blinked. “Yeah...yeah, I do,” he whispered as he accepted the flower. “Thanks.”

“No, no, I’m saying thank you to you. You’re supposed to say, ‘you’re welcome.’” Lucas was shaking his head. “Are you gonna name it?” 

“Sure. Any ideas?” Ten placed the orchid gingerly on the windowsill, reading the care instructions attached to its stem. 

“Asta,” Lucas said after a beat. 

“Asta? Why Asta?” 

“I don’t know. He’s my favorite character from _Black Clover_ ,” Lucas shrugged.

“Why does that make entirely too much sense? You two are the exact same brand of chaotic.” If Ten kept rolling his eyes like this, he was going to pull a muscle. 

“So, are you gonna name it Asta or not?” Lucas was lying on the sofa now, kicking at the air. 

“Yes. I’ll make a nametag later. Happy?” Ten sat beside Lucas’s head. 

“Over the moon,” Lucas grinned up at him. 

“Mmm. And for a few moments, I don’t entirely loathe you,” Ten knew age must be eroding him because he was getting soft. 

Mark, master of manifesting at just the right moment, returned from the bathroom and Ten was able to regain his composure.

“What are you two all sunshine and rainbows about?” Mark asked suspiciously. 

“I bought Ten an orchid as a thank you gift and now he doesn’t know what to do with himself,” Lucas practically oozed self-satisfaction. Ten pinched his earlobe and tugged. Hard. 

“Nice! Ten loves plants,” Mark sat down on Lucas’s outstretched legs. 

“Mark, could you not? His ego is already suffocating me.” 

“Are you sure that’s not just the overwhelming feelings of gratitude and love making it hard for you to breathe?” Lucas covered both ears protectively, so Ten was compelled to yank on his hair instead. 

“Overwhelming feelings of violence, hatred, and an unyielding need to end your miserable life,” Ten spat. 

“And we’re back to murder,” Lucas replied. “All’s right in the world.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LOL, sorry to anyone named Chelsea.
> 
> If you haven't seen Black Clover, watch it!!!


	7. Drip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rollercoasters and dance shoes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Lunar New Year!

As promised, Taeyong showed up shortly after two the next day. When Ten let him in, Taeyong whizzed past him. Ten might as well have been a wall fixture for all the greeting he received. 

“Hello to you too,” he grumbled to his friend’s retreating back.

Mark and Lucas were seated in the living room reading a comic and researching optimal feeding times for labradoodles, respectively. Taeyong smiled at Mark and flashed him a finger heart before all but throwing himself at Lucas.

“Hi, hi, hi!” Taeyong was hopping from one foot to another. “You must be Lucas!”

“The man, the myth, the legend,” Lucas replied, his hands sweeping down his body in a show of overt self-congratulation. “Taeyong, right?” 

“Yes, that’s me! May I sit next to you?” Lucas moved over so Taeyong could plop down beside him. “How’s living with Mark? I won’t ask about Ten because I already know the answer. I doubt you guys even have bacteria – Ten would make them feel too unwelcome.” 

“It’s great! Mark’s the best. He even let me borrow his bean bag chair until we can get another one,” Lucas affectionately tapped Mark, who was lying on the floor, with one foot. Ten stood by the kitchen, seething. 

“Am I a joke to you?” Ten pinched Taeyong’s cheek to capture his full attention. 

“Oh, hi, Ten. How are you, love?” Taeyong’s demeanor was nearly cherubic. 

“I was doing fine until you graced us with your unlovely presence,” Ten’s lip curled. “Now, both of you, move. I want to sit down.”

Ten’s homicidal aura must have been at full throttle because Lucas and Taeyong slid to their right simultaneously and with great speed. Ten crossed his arms and glared at them to complete the effect. 

“When he does that with his eyes,” Taeyong whispered, loudly, to Lucas, “you just have to look away. If you can’t see him, he can’t hurt you.” 

“Oh, yeah, wanna test that theory?” Ten readied himself for attack. “How’s Jaehyun?” 

Taeyong froze. _Score_. Mark added insult to injury, “Have you worked up the courage to talk to him yet?” 

Lucas scratched his head, deep in thought. “Wait, Jung Jaehyun? The med student?”

The proverbial cat returned Taeyong’s tongue, “Ye-es. You know him?” 

“Yep. He’s the instructor for my summer EMT course.” Ten and Mark did a coordinated double-take. 

“Dude, you’re taking an EMT course?” Mark asked, comic abandoned. 

“Yes, I figured I’d get my certification since I want to be a firefighter after graduation,” Lucas responded as though he hadn’t just admitted to pursuing one of the most admirable professions on the planet. 

Ten and Taeyong struck up a silent screaming match, smacking one another’s hands excitedly. _He wants to be a firefighter! A firefighter!_ Inner!Ten was incensed. _Sir, please spare a hand in marriage._

Lucas appraised them, puzzled, “Do you want me to introduce you, Taeyong?” 

Taeyong turned to stare at him, his eyes like saucers, “Oh my god, no, I would die on the spot. Perish. Cease to exist. You get the picture.” 

“But you’re super cute – Jaehyun will love you!” Lucas smiled encouragingly and Taeyong flushed the most magnificent shade of red, burying his scorching face between Ten’s neck and shoulder. 

“Have mercy,” Ten admonished, caressing the top of Taeyong’s head. “Mark, get the man a glass of water, Lucas has compromised him.” 

“I’m sorry, Taeyong,” Lucas howled as Mark shuffled to the kitchen. “Forgive me!”

“It’s okay,” Taeyong was giggling. “I’m using the bathroom; I’ll be right back.” 

“So,” Ten’s expression rearranged itself into one of comedic lecherousness once Taeyong was no longer in sight. “I hear firefighting involves a lot of handling of hoses.” 

“Mhmm,” Lucas caught on immediately. “I am a very skilled hose-handler.” 

Ten smirked, “You’ll have to show me some time.” 

“I can literally hear you!” Mark’s exasperation was palpable, even through the wall. “You guys are disgusting. Right in the fucking living room.” Coming back in, he shook his head like a disappointed father of three. 

“We’re just discussing Lucas’s future profession,” Ten placed his palm across his chest in mock offense. “Is there something wrong with that?” 

Mark ignored him. “I expected this from Ten,” he said to Lucas. “But I had thought better of you.”

“What can I say?” Lucas didn’t even bother to appear chastened. “Ten brings out the worst in me.” 

“Fucker,” Ten wished Taeyong would hurry up and get his ass back in here. As if heeding Ten’s wordless summons, Taeyong returned refreshed and clearly plotting something. 

“I think we should all go do something together. Like shopping!” He momentarily stopped to think. “No, wait, that’s a bit consumerist. Let’s go to the amusements in the park. I wanna ride the flying chairs!” 

Lucas hooted his approval, Mark threw a thumbs up, and Ten let out an excessively prolonged groan. 

***

Three against one, even with Ten’s formidable obstinacy, was a foregone conclusion. The heat meant everyone shimmered with a fine coating of sweat by the time they reached the park. Well, everyone except Ten who had perfected the ideal pace to prevent perspiring. Taeyong, Mark, and Lucas were dawdling impatiently at the entrance when he caught up to them. 

“Could you walk _any_ slower?” Mark complained, wiping at his brow. 

“Yes. I could walk backwards,” Ten sniffed. 

“Come on, guys, stop bickering,” Taeyong said as he jumped repeatedly, trying to high five Lucas who had his arm fully extended over his head. “We’ll go on the flying chairs first.” 

“Will we?” Ten asked, just to be difficult.

“We will,” Lucas was oddly firm. _Am I about to lose Lucas to Taeyong?_ Ten mentally hit himself. _No, you’d have to_ have _Lucas in the first place to lose him._

They purchased tickets and queued up. Since it was a weekday and most younger students were still in school, the line was short. When their turn came, Ten struggled to get himself up into the suspended chair which was stupidly high for a ride designed for _children_. Lucas saw his predicament and lifted him up into the seat with ease. 

“You’re cute when you’re having short people problems,” he teased as he fought with Ten to buckle him in. 

“Shut. The. Fuck. Up.” Ten regretted being trapped and thus incapable of exacting immediate revenge.

“Wow, wow, language, there are kids here!” Lucas cried despite the very obvious fact that there was no one under the age of sixteen as far as the eye could see. He hopped into his own chair and smiled back at Ten who was trying to determine if he could cause Lucas to spontaneously combust with the sheer power of his mind. 

The chairs began to rise and Ten said to himself, _This might be slightly fun._ Taeyong certainly thought so: he was squealing delightedly and flailing his arm around. Mark and Lucas, positioned between Taeyong and Ten, were characteristically enthused as well. 

The ride ended and Taeyong insisted on going again. Mark offered to join him, leaving Ten to accompany Lucas to the large roller coaster located nearby. At Lucas’s behest, they chose the seat at the very front and once they started moving Ten understood why. 

Lucas let out the most unholy yell and maintained the ruckus throughout the ride, increasing his volume every time they hit a dip. All of which, given their positioning, were brutally abrupt. Ten’s soul didn’t quite leave his body, but it came unprecedentedly close. 

The roller coaster car finally, mercifully, slowed and as soon as it was no longer in motion, Ten launched himself out of it and began running. Fuck not sweating, he needed to put as much distance between himself and the absolute _demon_ inhabiting Lucas’s leggy frame as he could. Stat. 

Lucas had other ideas and, as mentioned, much longer legs. He grabbed the back of Ten’s shirt, pulling him up short.

“Where do you think you’re going?” 

“Anywhere you’re not,” Ten replied. “Unhand me.” 

“I’ll just follow you,” Lucas reluctantly released Ten’s shirt and looked around. “Where are the others?” 

Mark and Taeyong, after a few minutes of searching, remained unfound. Ten had the disconcerting feeling that their disappearance was intentional. Taeyong was an inveterate meddler and Mark was more than happy to play along. 

Ten sighed, defeated in more ways than one, “Let’s sit down. I need a moment.” 

He and Lucas settled on a bench and sat together gazing out over the park which was beginning to fill with people as the afternoon drew on. 

“I love amusements,” Lucas remarked, his voice taking on a tone Ten hadn’t heard before. It was almost confiding. “But they always remind me of my ex.”

“Oh?” Ten’s throat tightened. 

“Yeah, we met at an amusement park. He was selling cotton candy.” 

“What happened?” Ten was morbidly curious. 

“When I decided to transfer schools, we broke up. Neither of us wanted to do long-distance. And honestly, the relationship had been cooling gradually for a while.” Wistfulness played across Lucas's features. 

“You still love him, don’t you?” Ten was looking at his hands, which were twisting slowly in his lap. 

Lucas paused before answering. “I don’t know. Sometimes I think I do but then I realize I’m really just reliving the memory of a feeling.” 

Ten nodded. “I know what that’s like.” 

Lucas snorted, “God, this is like a scene from a drama. Quick, say something nasty.” 

“With pleasure,” Ten smirked but then blanched when he failed to craft something witty and biting to follow up with. “Shit.”

“What? I got you so in your feelings you can’t even come up with an insult or two?” Lucas was beaming. “Shouldn’t I get a prize for this or something?” 

“You should get lost,” Ten’s powers were returning. “Or find Mark and Taeyong – this much unadulterated you-time is threatening to give me a stroke.” 

“Look, your wish is my command,” Lucas gestured to the men approaching them, each holding a lollipop. 

“Didya miss us?” Taeyong’s lips were tinted blue from the candy.

“Desperately,” Ten clasped his friend’s hand and began kissing it. Meanwhile, Mark and Lucas were exaggeratedly bro-hugging each other and doing some sort of messy handshake. 

“Shall we head out?” Taeyong checked the time on his phone. “It’s nearly five.” 

“Yeah,” Mark said, he and Lucas having begun acting like normal human beings again. “I promised Jeno and Jisung I’d meet them at the courts by seven.” 

“Can I come?” Lucas asked. 

“Sure! We can team up. You’re taller than everyone – we’ll destroy them,” Mark’s fist was pumping the air. 

Ten faced Taeyong, “While these two gremlins chase around a ball, would you like to spend an evening sipping wine and snacking on hors d'oeuvres with me?” 

“Don’t you mean _air_ d’oeuvres?” Lucas leapt in before Taeyong could reply. “There’s nothing in the fridge.” 

“Then we’ll buy some ingredients on the way home,” Taeyong put his arm around Ten. “I love the idea!” 

“You guys are like old people, what the hell?” Mark shook his head. 

“I think you mean ‘refined’,” Ten turned up his nose, pulling Taeyong along as they flounced out of the park. 

“So, did you guys have fun on the rollercoaster?” Mark and Lucas walked along the sidewalk behind Ten and Taeyong. 

“ _Never_ speak to me of that dark, dark time in my life,” Ten shivered despite the 75-degree weather. 

“But, Ten, you’re not even scared of rollercoasters?” Taeyong said. 

“The rollercoaster wasn’t the problem.”

“Lucas, what did you do to him?” Mark asked, accusatorily. 

“Nothing!” Lucas was quick to defend himself. 

“My eardrums would beg to fucking differ,” Ten tossed over his shoulder. 

“You were yelling, weren’t you?” Mark was doing his world-weary parent impression again. 

“‘Yelling’ doesn’t even come close to describing the amount of noise he was producing.”

“Rest in pieces,” Taeyong laughed and Ten threw his hand away forcefully. 

“I was just expressing my joy at being with you, Ten,” Lucas made an attempt to grasp him from behind. 

“In that case, may you never feel joy again,” Ten sidestepped to avoid being caught. 

Hors d'oeuvre supplies were purchased, the apartment was returned to, Lucas and Mark departed after Taeyong and Lucas staged a dramatic rendition of Andrea Bocelli’s ‘Time to Say Goodbye’ – a song Ten was unaware either of them knew the words to – and then Taeyong and Ten got wine-drunk and watched _Mean Girls_. 

The next morning, Ten woke to fuzzy recollections of passing out on the couch and someone collecting him into their arms before depositing him softly into his bed.

***

Dressed in leggings and a ratty T-shirt, Ten walked through the living room where Lucas was sprawled on the sofa playing a phone game. 

“Hey, where are you headed?” Lucas narrowed his eyes, giving Ten a once over.

“I’m going to the studio to dance. What’s it to you?” Ten halted his progress as he replied.

“You dance?” Lucas sounded weirdly excited.

“Yes, I do,” Ten felt inexplicably shy. 

“Me too!” Lucas started clapping and Ten’s eyebrows shot up.

“Seriously?” 

“Yeah, ever since I was little. Wait, can I go with you?” Lucas was already getting to his feet. 

“Somehow I feel like there’s only one answer to that,” Ten’s voice was a study in controlled boredom. 

“You’d be right! Lemme just get changed.” Lucas darted off to his room and returned three minutes later in a pair of sweats and a tank top, his bangs tied up in a little bun on top of his head. “Okay, all set, let’s go!” He grabbed Ten’s shoulders and launched him towards the door. 

“Hands off, you inordinately eager beast. I’m going.” 

As the two men made their way to the studio, Ten asked himself why he hadn’t tried a little harder to dissuade Lucas from accompanying him. Dancing was his favorite pastime besides drawing, and he wasn’t sure if he was fully prepared to let Lucas and his robust presence into that part of his life. But, as with most things that involved Lucas, his ability to control what went on was as good as nonexistent. 

At the studio, Ten changed into dance shoes and Lucas removed his socks before both of them began stretching. Lucas, despite his muscularity, was remarkably flexible and kept attempting to copy the contortions Ten twisted his body into, giggling when he couldn’t quite manage a maneuver. 

“Are you working on something in particular?” Lucas asked when Ten eventually stood up. 

“Yes, I’m preparing a choreo for ‘Fever’ by Dua Lipa and Angèle at the moment. I can show you what I’ve come up with so far, if you want?” Ten replied as he connected his phone to the speaker system. 

“Yes!” Lucas came to stand beside him. “Do you want me to press play for you?” 

“That would be helpful,” Ten handed Lucas his phone and went to stand at the center of the room. He was uncharacteristically nervous, not least because he could _feel_ Lucas’s eyes boring holes in his back as though he was some sort of human X-ray machine. When he looked in the mirror before him what he saw confirmed that his Spidey senses were spot on. Lucas was looking at him like he fully expected Ten to lay an egg, disappear, or perform some other miraculous act. 

“I’m ready,” he managed. 

Dua Lipa’s voice permeated the space and Ten began to dance. Once his mind focused on recalling the steps of the choreography, the weight of Lucas’s presence seemed to bear less heavily on him. His arms and legs moved with a grace he’d spent years cultivating. The blood rushed in his head when he spun. 

Two and a half minutes passed far more quickly than he would have liked and then the song was ending, his feet were stopping, and he was once again seeking out Lucas’s eyes in the mirror. A hideously unwise move because they were fucking _glowing._

“Oh my god, Ten, that was incredible! You’re so, so good,” Lucas bounded towards him and swept Ten into his arms. This time Ten didn’t bother to protest because 1) he was winded and 2) being held by Lucas wasn’t the worst thing in the world. 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. If you put me down, I’ll show you the choreo, step-by-step.” 

Lucas placed him back onto the floor with a caution that made Ten wonder if he was quite all right. Ten stepped to Lucas’s right and positioned himself to demonstrate the opening sequence. 

Lucas was a fast learner and he really could dance. Quite well. Ten could tell he hadn’t practiced in some time, but the acumen and the muscle memory were there. The control he possessed over his ridiculously long limbs was impressive. An idea Ten was sure he’d later come to regret took form as he watched him. 

“You know, this choreo could probably be modified for two people. A duo would suit the song better, too.” Lucas paused his movements at Ten’s words. 

“Are you asking me to dance with you?” His tone betrayed a degree of disbelief.

“Are you going to say yes?” Ten, already in way over his head, took the bull by the horns. 

“Of course, I am! Let’s do this,” Lucas was practically bouncing. 

“Okay. There’s one condition though: you have to get some shoes. I don’t wanna keep having to look at your long ass toes.” 

“You think these boys are long?” Lucas said, wriggling them. “You should see my—” 

Ten’s fingers clamped Lucas’s lips together, effectively cutting him off.

“Stop right there.” 

“What?” Lucas said, all faux innocence, after Ten retracted his hand. 

“Don’t ‘what’ me like that. I’m this,” Ten gestured with his thumb and index, “close to rescinding my offer.”

“Fine, fine. You’re no fun,” Lucas pouted. 

“I am _so_ much fun. You just have to earn it,” Ten gave Lucas a meaningful look, because, yes, two can play this game and he was a _seasoned_ combatant. 

“I’ll start tomorrow,” Lucas offered.

“You will start now,” Ten punctuated his statement by turning on his heel and walking to where he’d left his bag, leaning down to slip off his shoes. 

“Whatever you say, boss.” Lucas was putting his socks back on as well as his sneakers. 

“Don’t call me that, it’s unsexy.” Ten hefted his bag onto his shoulder and held the door open so they could both pass through it. 

“I could just call you ‘sexy’, would that be better?” Lucas turned around, walking backwards as he spoke. 

“A bit on the nose, don’t you think?” Ten knew he was grinning like an idiot, but he couldn’t help himself because Lucas was hot and flirting with him was unnervingly addictive. 

“I like your nose,” Lucas said, reaching out to boop it. Ten swatted his hand away. 

“Hasn’t anyone ever told you that it’s rude to invade people’s personal space?” 

“You didn’t complain when I picked you up earlier,” Lucas responded mischievously and Ten suppressed the urge to trip him. 

“I—”

Lucas interrupted him with a delighted shout, “Oh my god, are you blushing?” 

“I most decidedly am not,” Ten lied through his teeth because he could very much feel the heat rising in his traitorous cheeks. 

“You are! You are! You’re blushing,” Lucas spun around, his arms outstretched: a slightly taller and more masculine version of the protagonist from _The Sound of Music_. “Ten’s blushinggggg.”

“For the good of humanity, you should be locked in a room and never let step foot out of it again.” Ten’s tone pretty much gave away his current state: dead on the inside. 

For a second, Lucas looked like he was definitely about to make a BDSM joke but seemed to take pity on Ten, looping his fingers around one of his wrists and quickening their pace instead. 

“Hurry up,” he urged. “I can’t wait to tell Mark.”

“Can’t wait to tell Mark that the blood vessels in my face filled more than usual?” 

“So, you admit it then?” 

“I admit nothing,” Ten huffed. 

“I want to tell him about our dance!” Lucas pulled open the front door of their apartment building and dragged Ten into the elevator. 

“What’s there to tell? We’ve barely even started yet,” Ten maintained external cool while his heart squeezed a tiny little bit at Lucas’s unabashed enthusiasm. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll find something to say,” Lucas answered as they stepped out of the elevator. 

Ten laughed, “Now there’s a statement I can’t refute.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listen to Dua Lipa and Angèle's [ Fever ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vs61OHs2g-w%22) it is such a bop.  
> LMFAO, don't try the choreo I describe at home. I can't have you seeing that it reveals its mediocrity when you actually perform it. I'm a dancer but I'm very lazy, so I planned the dance out in my head but that's about it. 
> 
> The comments y'all leave me warm my heart so much 🥰


	8. Love Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The best kind of shop.

Today was the day. Ten was finally going to do it. He was going to go to the grocery store and buy enough food to stock the fridge for...at least a week. He just needed a partner in crime. Preferably someone who could carry a lot of bags. So many bags.

“Lucasssssss,” Ten called. 

“Wassup?” Lucas somersaulted into the room. 

“You busy? Your job hasn’t started yet, right?”

“I start tomorrow.” 

“Perfect,” Ten clapped his hands together once. “We’re going to the supermarket.”

“What if I don’t want to?” Lucas’s petulant defiance would have put a three-year-old to shame.

“Not an option. Take these,” Ten handed him several reusable shopping bags. “Do you have your phone?”

“Yeah, why?” Lucas was swinging the bags around like some sort of pell-mell circus act. 

“I want to be able to call you when you get lost,” Ten slipped on a pair of sandals. 

“What makes you think I’m gonna get lost?” Lucas stepped into his slides. Of course, he wore _slides._

“Are you seriously asking me that?” 

“If we hold hands, I won’t get lost!” Early humans probably resembled Lucas upon their first discovery of fire.

“You know what? I’d rather lose you,” Ten rubbed his temples and considered sending Lucas back and convincing Mark to accompany him instead. 

“If you lose me, who will carry your bags for you?”

Ten startled, “How’d you know I wanted you to carry the bags?”

“I might look dumb, Ten, but I’m not _actually_ dumb,” Lucas’s tone was playful, but Ten still felt a pang of guilt.

“I don’t think you’re dumb, Lucas,” he said. “And I don’t just want you to carry the bags – I want you to come along because I...” 

“Because you what?” 

“Because I like spending time with you,” Ten gritted out. “Sometimes.”

“Now, was that so hard?” Lucas should forget about the animal shelter and consider being a kindergarten teacher instead. 

“Yes, it was very hard, and I think I need a rest,” Ten made a movement as though he was about to sit down right there in the middle of the hallway. 

“Get up, you little monarch of drama,” Lucas pulled him to his feet with one arm. “We have food to buy!” 

“So unkind, so inconsiderate,” Ten lamented as Lucas practically carried him to the elevator. 

“When are you gonna start bitching and moaning and asking me to put you down?” Lucas queried; his arm still wrapped around Ten’s middle.

“Never,” Ten responded. “This way I don’t have to do anything.” 

“Okay, but let’s switch to a piggyback,” Lucas released him and squatted down. 

“All right, I can accept that,” Ten wasn’t sure when he’d gone from ‘don’t even think about touching me with a ten-foot pole’ to being mounted on Lucas’s back like a fucking monkey. 

Lucas conveyed him all the way to the store, which was really only a five-minute walk away, and Ten slid off by himself before they entered in an effort to salvage the last remaining scraps of his dignity. 

“You aren’t going to tip your Uber?” Lucas asked as Ten acquired a shopping cart. 

“The ride was really bumpy, so no, I don’t think I will,” Ten began perusing the fruits and vegetables, not because he was going to buy any but because they were pretty and interesting to look at. 

“That’s a one-star passenger rating for you then,” Lucas was wielding two particularly long cucumbers like swords, endangering a tower of neatly stacked oranges. 

“Deadpool, baby, _put down the cucumbers,_ ” Ten was becoming increasingly unsure that they would both make it out of the store alive. 

“But how will I defend us without my trusty weapons?” Lucas restored the cucumbers to their rightful place. 

“It’s not like the veggies are about to start attacking us,” Ten selected some bananas. For Mark. 

“You never know, the potatoes are sus as hell with their little eyes. I feel them fucking looking at me,” Lucas was throwing shapes at the tubers in question. 

“Ooo, speaking of, grab some Japanese sweet potatoes for me, please,” Ten pointed and Lucas did as he was asked, albeit with a healthy dose of reluctance. 

In the meat section, Ten caressed a package of pork belly, trying to decide if he could successfully cook it without burning their apartment building to the ground. When he placed the package in the cart and looked up, Lucas was no longer beside him. 

“Lucas? Did I lose you already?” 

“I’m here,” Lucas skipped out from behind a row of refrigerators. “Look at my scarf!”

“Lucas, you better have a very, very good explanation for why there is a string of fucking sausages around your neck.” Ten was trying so hard not to laugh that he was positive his face was swelling. 

“I was cold?” Lucas offered, disentangling himself.

“It’s June. Try again,” Ten rescued the sausages and put them in the shopping cart, confident that they weren’t beyond their culinary capabilities. 

“Eggs! Eggs! Eggs!” Lucas’s Broadway debut was destined to be spellbinding. 

“No eggs,” Ten interrupted the show. 

“Why no eggs?” Lucas went from ecstatic to glum in seconds.

“It begins with ‘m’, ends with ‘k’ and usually looks confused.” 

“But I like eating boiled eggs,” Lucas shook Ten’s arm, almost dislodging it from the socket. “Please let me buy some eggs, Ten.”

“Okay, fine, _fine_ ,” Ten gave in, mostly for the sake of his beleaguered limb. “But you have to hide them at the back of the fridge. And if you catch Mark trying to make one, promise me that you will throw him, the pan, and the egg out the window. Got it?”

“Ay, ay, sexy captain,” Lucas saluted. 

“‘Sexy captain’?” Ten’s eyebrows went for a ride up his forehead. 

“Well, I wanted to just say ‘captain’ but then I thought it might not be sexy enough by itself, so I spruced it up a bit. What do you think?” 

“I think it sounds like a character description for a porno. Or a Halloween costume. You can do better.”

“Mm, I don’t think I can do better than you, Ten,” Lucas’s heart eyes would have made anyone else melt but Ten was used to this shit by now. 

“Go get yourself some cereal, fool. And sweet talk someone else while you’re at it.”

“I would never even dream of cheating on you,” Lucas said with saccharine sincerity as he sashayed in the direction of the cereal aisle. 

A few minutes later, Ten was rounding the corner of a shelf laden with chips when a small package collided with the side of his head and fell to the floor beside him. 

“Ohmygod. Are those fucking maxi pads?” 

“Maybe? Possibly? Po-ten-tial-ly,” Lucas replied from where he stood several feet away, grinning demonically. 

“I cannot _believe_ you are a person who is alive and for whom I am responsible. I would really love to know who I hurt in my past life to deserve this.” Ten lowered his head down onto the handle of the shopping cart, praying for the strength he would need to carry out the rest of this star-crossed endeavor. 

Lucas didn’t answer because he was too busy rocking out to ‘Uptown Funk’, the latest song on the supermarket’s incredibly vanilla playlist. Andddd, now he was breakdancing. In the middle of the grocery store. You just couldn’t make this shit up. 

The remainder of their time in the shop was something of a blur to Ten. He spent most of it trying to pick out food items while dodging flying objects or beseeching Lucas to put back something they most definitely did _not_ need every five to seven steps. 

When they finally got to the cash register, bagged and paid for everything, and walked out onto the sidewalk, Ten was sure he looked many years older than he did when they’d gone in. 

“Well, that was something,” he exhaled. 

“It was great! I can’t wait to go again!” The highlights in Lucas’s hair glinted in the sun as he bobbed his head. 

“I couldn’t be looking forward to something less,” Ten dragged his fingers down his cheeks. “I’m fucking exhausted.” 

“Would you like me to carry you home? We can leave the bags here and I can come back and get them!” 

“Not only is that a _terrible_ idea, it’s also ridiculous. I can walk on my own!” Ten didn’t mean to give off angry child vibes but he wasn’t in top form at the moment. “Just..just be quiet.”

Lucas’s entire body sagged and Ten quickly backtracked, “Or don’t. God, why do you have to be so _irresistible_?” 

Energizer Bunny!Lucas had returned and was ready to wreak havoc, “I was born this way. But please, don’t restrain yourself. If you can’t resist, then don’t.” 

Ten knew he wasn’t up to it right now but rose to the challenge anyway, “Lucas, don’t ask for things you can’t handle.” 

Lucas eyed him...the only word to describe it was _hungrily_. “What makes you think I can’t handle it?” 

Ten’s heart did something unnatural which he wisely took as a reality check. “Okay, this conversation is getting wildly out of hand and we have a lot of groceries to drag back to the apartment. Also, I need a nap.” 

“Hmm, looks like I’m not the one who can’t handle things,” Lucas’s smirk bled into his speech. 

“Rain date when I’m not about to keel over, asshole,” Ten was on the move now. “Let the best man win.”

“Game on.” 

***

What Lucas had told Ten about his ex-boyfriend hadn’t bothered him, per se, but he did find himself mulling over it now and again. When he’d said that he empathized, he wasn’t just being ‘nice’ – he really did have similar personal experiences. Which was all the more reason for him to...ponder. Because he knew what it was like to be 62% over someone and how one day you were completely fine and the next you were listening to Lewis Capaldi and crying in the shower. Fully clothed. Third-style. So, while he liked Lucas ( _yes, I said it_ ) and the thought of being _with_ Lucas had crossed his mind, he was so _not_ interested in dating a person who was lowkey in love with someone else. Which meant evasive maneuvers were in order: the flirtatious overtone in their conversations needed to be toned down, uncharacteristically kind gestures must be kept at a minimum (this part would be easy, given Ten’s personality), and under no circumstances may Ten allow a repeat of the titillating scene at the grocery store. He had an instruction guide: now he just had to follow it. But some things are easier said than done and Ten was fairly sure this was one of them. 

Before doing anything else though, he needed to bitch. He needed to call someone up and enumerate each and every one of his woes to them. Tern, as if detecting his anguish from where she lived fifteen minutes away, took this most serendipitous moment to video call him. 

_Oh god, you look like shit,_ were Tern’s wonderfully observant words upon connecting.

“Not god, just Ten. You’re not looking too fresh-faced yourself.” Ten ran a hand through his slightly tangled hair. 

_Yeah, but I’m just tired from working on stuff for my internship. You live like a king these days, so what’s your excuse?_ Which was true. Having worked the whole previous school year and with a part-time job at a gallery lined up for the fall, Ten had decided to take the summer off. 

“I’ll tell you, but you have to promise me you won’t be intolerable about it,” Ten sighed.

_You and I both know that’s a ludicrous request. And it’s also irrelevant because by the very act of making it, you’ve given yourself away._ Tern did evil little sibling way too well.

“Oh, really?” Ten was backed into a corner with neither a means nor the energy to escape. 

_Yup. You’re angsting over Lucas, aren’t you?_

“I am not angsting. I’m not thirteen,” Ten snapped. “I’m merely feeling a measure of concern and dissatisfaction.” 

_Sounds like angsting to me. But you do you, bro._ Tern laughed brightly and then sobered. _Talk to me._

“I will. Only because if I don’t, I’ll lose what little remains of my sanity. Lucas told me about his ex the other day. When we were in the park. And it sounds like they ended messily. Not bad messy. More like... _sad_ messy.”

Tern’s face puckered, _Oh, RIP. What did you say?_

“Honestly? Not much. I just, like, listened and sympathized and then Mark and Taeyong showed up. So, the subject was dropped. It’s been nagging me ever since though,” Ten paused to collect his thoughts. “I don’t know, Lucas does and says stuff that makes me think he’s interested but now that he told me this, I’m not sure what to think. I don’t wanna start making moves on someone who’s going through some sort of emotional shitstorm, you know?

_Totally. I would suggest talking it out with him but that would probably be hella awkward and possibly a little invasive._ Tern’s ability to transform into a mature, wise, and thoughtful young person from the incorrigible ragamuffin she usually presented as was uncanny. _It’ll probably suck, and I know patience isn’t your strong suit, but maybe just lay low for a while? See how he continues to behave and if he decides to tell you more. He’s not going anywhere, right?_

“Sadly, no. I think I’m stuck with him for the foreseeable future.” 

_As if you aren’t delighted by that. But, yeah, just sit tight. And anytime you need to scream about it, call me. I’ll definitely make you suffer for it, but I’ll also listen. I got you, Ten_. She made a little heart with her fingers. 

“Thank you, Tern, once every five years I don’t hate you,” Ten replied, returning the gesture.

_Knowing you, I’m probably doing better than most._

“Okay, enough about me and my pathos. How’s the internship?” 

_It’s actually not bad. Like, it involves a significant amount of stereotypical coffee acquisition and file organization, but the full-time staff are all cool and super willing to show me stuff. One of the designers is a god on earth. I would sacrifice my arm, leg, and left lung to work with her. Her pieces are unbelievable. There’s gonna be a showcase next month, you have to come!_ Tern accompanied her speech with rapid gesticulations.

“I’ll be there. I’ll invite Taeyong.”

_Invite Lucas and Mark, too!_

“Thanks, I’ll pass. I really have no desire to be the initiator of World War III.” 

_Oh, they’re not_ that _bad._

Ten shot her a withering look, “Oh, yes they are. I would know. I live with them.” 

_You make your bed, you lie in it, buddy._ Tern was adding octopus emoji stickers to her video. 

“Compassionate and understanding as ever,” Ten repositioned himself to relieve his numbing limbs. “Suddenly, I don’t really want to talk to you anymore.” 

_You called me, dumbass!_

“Really not sure why.” 

_Goodbye, Ten._ Tern hung up before he could respond. 

“There’s a special place in hell for younger sisters,” Ten informed his home screen. “And it’s not in one of the fun parts.” 

***

Ten began changing into more activity-friendly clothing and searching for his dance shoes which weren’t in his bag, probably thanks to the fact that his brain seemed to be running on one cylinder these days. Somebody knocked on his door. 

“Can I help you?” Ten asked, poking his head out. 

“As if you’d actually help someone,” Lucas was wearing shorts and a sleeveless jersey. 

“I would if they weren’t you,” Ten was attempting to unglue his gaze from Lucas’s tanned arm muscles. 

“Are you ready to go? Let’s dance!” Lucas performed a sloppy pirouette. 

“I think we have different definitions of the word ‘dance,’ but, yes, I’ll be out in a minute,” Ten slipped back into his room. 

He finally uncovered the infernal shoes and found Lucas in the living room, making a concerted effort to bring his leg behind his head. He resembled a drunken spider. 

“What the _fuck_ are you doing?”

“I’m you!” Lucas collapsed onto his back.

“I’m vaguely insulted. Get up.” Ten crossed his arms. “I thought you were raring to go?”

“I am, I am,” Lucas catapulted onto his feet and approached Ten in one large stride. “Am I carrying you again?”

“What are you, a fucking packhorse?” Disgust was definitely in Ten’s top 3 most oft-experienced emotions. “Walking is part of my warm-up.” 

“Oh. I was looking forward to it,” Lucas sniffled loudly. “Carrying you was going to be _my_ warmup.”

“I would advise that you seek psychological help at your earliest convenience.”

“I already have a therapist!” Lucas was subjecting the door to yet another almighty wrench. “His name is Baekhyun and he does a really good job of alternating between giving great life advice and roasting the shit out of me.” 

Ten blinked once. Twice. Thrice. “Well, that wasn’t the response I was expecting but good on you for taking care of your mental health. I should consider ripping a page from your book…”

Lucas settled his arm around Ten’s shoulders, “You’ll get there eventually.” 

“Don’t patronize me,” Ten said, shrugging out of his embrace. 

“I wouldn’t dare,” Lucas was once again attached to Ten’s upper body. “Now, tell me about this song – which I’ve listened to eleven times now – why’d you pick it?” 

“It’s sexy and I love duets,” Ten turned his head to face Lucas. “Wait, eleven times?” 

“Yeah! I can even sing the French bits now. _Peut-être qu'avec du temps, ça partira_ …” Whoever sanctioned Lucas’s talent distribution was going directly to jail. Ten mentally fanned himself. 

“Is it too late for me to tell you that I have decided to change the song?” Ten watched Lucas’s expression freeze momentarily before it transformed into one of ironic appreciation. 

“Haha, very funny, you almost had me there but I’m too clever. Too clever for your shenanigans,” Lucas punched him and Ten was sure the subsequent bruise would be a thing of true beauty. 

“Ew, did you just use the word ‘shenanigans’? Do you watch baseball, grill on the weekends, and shake your fist at screaming children too?” 

“I’m actually good at grilling. I can make that pork belly we bought a few days ago.” Lucas was lighting up even brighter than usual. _Food_.

“Really? You’re finally going to be useful! Wait until I tell Mark he’s been unseated,” Ten pressed the crosswalk button to his right. 

“I am very useful,” Lucas protested. “For example, I can do this.” 

And thus, Lucas’s earlier wish was granted: he toted Ten the last fifty feet to the studio, despite the smaller man kicking at him the whole way. 

After stretching thoroughly, Ten stood and placed his hand on his hips, “Today, we’ll alter the choreo so that it’s more suitable for two people. Before I launch into my tirade, any suggestions you’d like to make?” 

“Can there be a part where I lift you up and spin you around like ballet dancers do?” Lucas replied as he improvised a short popping routine in the mirror. 

“No,” Ten wasn’t even shocked by the request, Lucas’s obsession was a well-known fact to him at this point. “If that’s all you have to offer, I’ll go ahead and explain what I’m thinking.” 

“Take it away, teach,” Lucas smiled goofily when Ten glared at him. 

“So, we’ll both dance the entire time. But one of us will be highlighted for the English verses and the other for the French. Except for those two stanzas that start with ‘Tell me what you wanna do right now’ – for them we’ll both be center. To accomplish that, we’ll have to…” Ten petered out. 

Lucas was gazing at him expectantly, “Go on, I’m listening.” 

“Right,” Ten cleared his throat. _How am I supposed to explain this part of the choreo without sounding like a thirsty hoe?_ “We should touch. Dance closely together, I mean. Jesus, it’s easier if I just show you.” 

“Flustered is a very good look on you, Ten. Let me enjoy it for a little longer,” Lucas held Ten by his biceps and stared directly at him. 

“Fuck off. Do you want to learn the dance or not?” Ten willed his voice not to shake. Lucas’s ability to throw him completely off kilter was unbelievably annoying. 

“Yes, yes. Don’t get all huffy,” Lucas stepped back. 

“Lucas, the door is there, don’t make me walk out of it,” Ten began mentally rehearsing the sequence of movements he was about to demonstrate. 

“Okay, I’ll be good. Pinky promise,” Lucas reached out, his smallest right finger extended. 

Ignoring the gesture, Ten fell artfully into a backbend, saying as he did so, “At the end of the previous stanza, I’ll do this and then at beginning of the ‘Tell me blah blah’ you come and place your right hand under my back to pull me up. Don’t worry, I’ll also push off the floor with my arms. Once I’m standing, bring me flush to your chest and then I’ll step back. At this point, you’ll rest your hands on my hips, I’ll place mine on your shoulders, and we’ll do something akin to basic salsa steps with our feet. Got that so far?”

Lucas nodded vigorously; his eyes pinned to Ten’s body as he extracted himself from the backbend. 

“Next, I’ll spin out and stop, facing away from you. Step up behind me, like directly behind me, we should be in contact with one another. We’ll take synchronized steps backwards, to the beat of the music, and you’ll run your hands up and down my sides. Alternating. So, when one hand runs up, the other runs down. It would be good if it were also in time with the music, but it doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to be sexy,” Ten smirked. “Okay, let’s run through those moves and see where it gets us.” 

Lucas’s face was doing interesting things. “Man, this is gonna be _hot._ ”

“That’s the idea. After we do this, we can work on our more individual parts.”

“I wanna do the French!” Lucas cried in response. 

“Of course, you do,” Ten plugged his phone into the sound system and located the right place in the song. “Ready?”

“To feel you up? Hell, yes!”

“My god. I regret everything,” Ten screwed up his eyes and let out a breath. 

“I regret nothing.” 

“Shut up and dance.”

“Isn’t that the name of a song?” Lucas asked thoughtfully. 

“Which part of ‘shut up’ did you not understand?” Ten pressed play.

The first few attempts were inglorious, to say the very least. There was a lot of tripping and a few instances of forgotten steps and Ten had to pause to get ahold of himself once or twice. But they got it eventually. And then they worked on the rest of the song and they got most of that too. When, two hours later, they flung themselves on to the floor, sweating and exhausted, Ten felt that progress had indeed been made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I referenced the Thai BL Theory of Love. Third is one of my favorite characters ever! [ Watch it ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_u6bHEWlvZU) XD.


	9. Wish You Were Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summer vacation!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine's Day! I love you all so much 🥰

If the seasons were runners, winter would be a marathoner and summer would specialize in...the hundred meter dash. So, somehow, it was already August. And August meant Family Time. Family-family, that is. Mark’s parents and brother were coming from Canada for a road trip across the US, which: bless them because this is a big ass country and most of it is empty. Lucas was flying to Hong Kong and Ten to Thailand. Taeyong and his family were going to _Ireland_ of all places. 

Because none of them enjoyed packing, Mark, Lucas and Ten had decided on a day during which they were going to force themselves to do all of it collectively to make the whole endeavor slightly less unsavory. Ten had invited Taeyong, who was leaving a week or so later than the rest of them, nominally to spend time with him before he left but really more for moral support. Or maybe just as a buffer against the constant calamity that was Mark and Lucas. Who the fuck knows.

The apartment was a mess. Clothes, shoes, toiletries, and electronics were strewn everywhere. No one was even sure what belonged to whom anymore. Somehow packing had turned into a random redistribution of personal items throughout the bedrooms, living room, and kitchen. Ten was seriously beginning to doubt the validity of the theory that doing this together would be better than doing it individually.

“Whose dinosaur underwear is this?” Ten held the boxers up, a fairly good idea of who their owner was already forming in his head. 

“Mine! Thanks, man, I had no clue where they went,” Lucas skidded to a stop in front of him and whisked the underwear away. 

Mark’s head appeared around his doorframe. “Your underwear has dinosaurs on it? That’s so—” 

“Childish,” Ten interrupted.

“I was gonna say ‘cool.’”

“Yes, and I saved you. You’re welcome,” Ten went back to folding the pile of T-shirts lying on the sofa. 

“Don’t worry,” Lucas had the underwear on his head now. “I also have sexy underwear.” 

“In no timeline was I worried. Or interested.” Ten’s lip curled. 

“Admit it. You were at least a little interested.” 

“Shouldn’t you be kneeling on suitcase, trying to get the zipper to close or something?” 

“I wish I was at that stage. Everything’s still on my bed. And just when I think I’m ready to move it into the case I remember something that’s missing and I go to look for it and when I do I get distracted by something else and...yeah, it’s taking a while.” Lucas ran his finger up and down his nose-bridge, nervously. 

“That was a beautiful oration. I think we’ll call it ‘The Lamentation of a Chaos Kid Preparing for Vacation.’” Ten’s sarcasm meter had clearly maxed out a while ago.

“You can be really annoying sometimes, you know that?” Lucas pouted.

“Oh, dear, struck a chord, have I? But I’ll take pity on you this time. Give me a minute to finish up here, and then I’ll come help you.” Yes, Ten was weak for the Lucas pout. It was those goddamn lips, okay???

“Yes! My ploy – it worked!” Lucas started imitating a T-rex doing the can-can. 

Ten stared at him, “I. Hate. You.”

“You know, you say that a lot. And every time you do, I believe it a little bit less.” Lucas, knowing he’d dealt the killing blow, galloped off to his room, “I’ll be waiting.” 

“An activity you’ll die performing,” Ten said under his breath. 

“What’s that?” Taeyong had emerged from where he’d been hiding in Ten’s room. 

“Oh, nothing. Just Lucas being an absolute shit again. I’m going to help him in a moment, want to come and keep me sane?” 

“Pretty sure that’s why I’m here,” replied Taeyong, who could always read Ten like his thoughts were written across his forehead in size 72 font.

“Not in the slightest,” Ten was all feigned dismay as he took Taeyong’s hand and led him to Lucas’s disaster zone that also happened to contain a bed. 

“You came! And you brought your better half,” Lucas greeted them from where he was seated on the floor untangling a rat’s nest of charging cables. Ten turned around to leave and Taeyong tugged him back.

“What can we help you with, Lucas?” Taeyong asked sweetly. _Genuinely_ sweetly. Taeyong’s patience with the younger man was immeasurable. Or maybe it just seemed immeasurable when compared to Ten’s, which was less than nonexistent. 

“Well, I’m trying to sort out these dumbs cables right now and I guess I could use some help with that,” Lucas answered. “And maybe one of you could try to figure out my sock situation? They’re all in that top drawer but none of them are paired up.” 

“I’ll get the socks. Ten, you help him with the cables,” Taeyong delegated, dropping Ten’s hand and walking to the bureau. Ten reluctantly lowered himself to the ground across from Lucas. 

“Okay, first of all, you can’t just pull at them and hope a miracle occurs. You have to figure out where the ends of each cable are and then follow the wire from one end to the other to figure out what it’s entangled with.” Ten took the mass from Lucas and demonstrated with a white iPhone cable.

“I see! Let me try,” Lucas dutifully extracted a longer black cable and held it up triumphantly.

“Early man learns a new skill. Perhaps, he will next discover fire,” Ten deadpanned. 

“Early man’s also very good in hand-to-hand combat and he’s about to beat your ass,” Lucas retorted, clambering towards Ten so he could lift him up and turn him over. 

“Hey, hey! No fighting,” Taeyong cried, pausing his very neat sock organization project. “Can you guys not even behave for like three minutes?” His tone was more affectionate than admonishing. 

“Ten asked for it,” Lucas was still holding Ten down. 

“I did not. When did I ever say the words ‘spank me, daddy’?” Ten squirmed, loosening Lucas’s grip. 

“Excuse me, what?” Taeyong asked, aghast. Lucas was no longer able to breathe he was laughing so hard. He’d also finally let go of Ten, who quickly rolled out of range of his dangerously thrashing limbs. 

“Hmm?” Ten refused to meet his friend’s eyes.

“Wow. One of you is as bad as the other. Lucas, your socks are done. I need a moment.” Apparently, when tested by the combined force of Lucas and Ten simultaneously, Taeyong’s patience _did_ have a limit. 

Taeyong having deserted them – he could be heard chatting to Mark – Lucas and Ten engaged in a prolonged staring contest before returning to the task at hand. 

The fact that they did eventually make sense of the cables was really a matter of pure luck. And it took an additional fifteen minutes. And at least three more scuffles. Though, honestly, Ten had stopped counting. 

“I would advise rolling up your clothes rather than folding them like you have. It makes it much easier to pack them,” Ten suggested as he poked and prodded the contents of Lucas’s closet, which had taken up temporary residence on his bed. 

“Can you show me?”

Ten wrinkled his nose. “You don’t know how to roll up a shirt?” 

“I do,” Lucas replied, nonchalantly. 

“Then why…?” 

“Because I like watching you be all domestic,” Lucas smiled broadly around the words. 

“ _Jesus_. You worry me sometimes,” Ten scoffed to cover his embarrassment at Lucas’s frank admission. “Roll up your own goddamn clothes. I’m going to find Mark and Taeyong. Speaking of whom, remember to thank him for organizing your socks.” 

“Yes, mom,” Lucas drawled and Ten cast him a terribly filthy look as he walked into the hallway. 

“Tae!”

“We’re in here,” Taeyong called back from the living room. 

“I survived,” Ten said as he entered and flung himself down onto Taeyong’s lap. 

“We were just about to come check on you,” Mark chuckled, shaking his head. 

“Do you think this is funny?” Ten whined. “I could have lost my life. Lucas is a fucking menace.” 

“Who’s a menace?” Lucas must be a wildly fast clothing roller. 

“‘Who’s a menace?’” Ten parroted. “You, bitch. Who else?”

“Civility, please,” Taeyong beseeched. “Let’s talk about something else. Like what I’m even supposed to bring to Ireland.” 

“Doesn’t it rain a lot? So, maybe a raincoat?” Mark offered. 

“Hats for the cows,” was Lucas’s wonderfully helpful contribution. 

“Advil. For when you’re hungover from drinking enough whiskey for you _and_ me,” Ten chipped in last. 

Mark’s face was screwed up in befuddlement. “Wait. Can we go back a sec? Why do the cows need hats?”

“For when it rains. Without hats, the water will get in their eyes,” Lucas responded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. 

Mark nodded slowly, clearly still not really processing, while Ten held his head in his hands, and Taeyong giggled, probably imagining cows in bucket hats and finding it cute. 

“What I’m interested in,” Ten reemerged from his palms, “Is whether or not you have nice outfits picked out. Because I hear Irish boys are very hot.” 

“Get it, Taeyong!” Lucas exclaimed, doing something very suspect with his eyebrows.

“Irish people have really nice accents. There was a student in my class last semester who grew up there and every time he talked everybody was just like ‘yesss,’” Mark said. 

“No, no, no! All of you: stop. I have to save myself for my one true love, Jaehyun.” Taeyong looked and sounded distressed. 

“Any progress on that front?” Ten asked, his smirk unnecessarily cruel. 

“No,” Taeyong said in tiny, his neck shrinking in on itself. 

“Oh, baby,” Ten cooed, patting Taeyong’s cheek. “You really got it bad, huh?” 

“You just gotta go for it,” Mark said. “That’s what I did with Donghyuck and it worked! Now I have the world’s most annoying boyfriend.” 

“You’re all confidence and bravado now but if Lucas and I hadn’t bullied you back in May, there would be no unbelievably irritating significant other to speak of,” Ten countered. 

“I think I could be a more annoying boyfriend than Donghyuck,” Lucas remarked, a competitive edge slipping into his voice. 

“There’s only one way to find out.” Taeyong, also well-versed in the fine art of revenge, threw a very pointed look towards Ten. 

“You’re a genius!” Lucas clapped. “But you’re pining over Instructor Jung and Mark has Donghyuck, which leaves—”

“Let me stop you right there.” Ten would not allow the conclusion of that thought to be spoken into material existence. 

“You’re gonna reject me just like that?” Lucas’s horror would have failed _all_ the authenticity tests. 

“Yes.”

“Maaaarrrrk,” Lucas caterwauled. “Get me a tub of ice cream, Ten just broke my heart.”

“I have no pity for you, man.” Mark shrugged. “You’re the one who handed your heart on a plate to a known serial killer.”

“I’m gonna miss you guys,” Taeyong said as Lucas rolled around on the floor, pretending to bawl. “You’re my favorite tripartite catastrophe.”

“Aww, we’re gonna miss you too, Yongie,” Mark shifted closer to Taeyong on the sofa so he could hug his shoulders, while Ten embraced Taeyong’s waist. Lucas leapt up off the floor and placed himself on top of all three of them, completing the group hug and crushing everyone in the process. 

“Okay, disband, I am suffocating,” Ten puffed out, his position the most endangering. 

“I don’t want to let go yet though,” Lucas replied.

“Do you want me to elbow you in the balls?” Ten moved one arm threateningly. 

“Why is it always instant violence with you two?” Mark sighed.

“Because Ten is an angry little man,” Lucas said evenly.

“Oh no,” Taeyong whispered.

Ten screeched and pounced, landing on Lucas, who had stood up moments before, and clinging to the taller man as he tried to right himself after the sudden impact. However, when Lucas’s arms came up to hold him in place, Ten forgot the rest of his attack plan. 

“Well, this was unexpected,” Lucas grinned at him. “If I’d known you’d react like this I would have called you that a lot sooner.” 

Ten, freshly incensed, acted, in retrospect, rather rashly. Without really thinking about it, he bit into the soft part of Lucas’s cheek eliciting a yelp of surprise. 

“For fuck’s sake, get a room!” Mark yelled. 

“Can we use yours?” Lucas shot back.

Mark spluttered. “Road trip, please come faster!”

“I’m going to remind you of that sentiment when you’re stuck somewhere in Wyoming struggling to find a reason to live,” Ten said from where he was still attached to Lucas’s form. 

“I’m already struggling to find a reason to live,” Mark threw up his hands and stormed into the kitchen. Taeyong followed him, laughing softly.

“So, baby koala, you just gonna chill here or…?” Lucas hefted Ten into a more comfortable position.

“Maybe I will.” Ten tilted his head coyly. Lucas’s gaze fell on the line of his neck. 

“Can I bite you back?” Was it Ten’s imagination or had Lucas's voice just deepened???

“No, you may not. And just for that, I’m getting down now.” 

As soon as Ten’s feet were on stable ground again, he vacated the room at record speed because he may or may not have been the smallest, littlest, tiniest bit turned on. 

***

The flight to Thailand, with its layovers and cramped seats, was brutal, as always. But at least Tern was with him this time and the joy of seeing their parents for the first time in so long was very much worth it. For the next three weeks, he would get to eat homecooked meals, sleep in his childhood bedroom, and play with the family cats. Fucking bliss. 

Of course, the existence of twenty-first century technology meant that he couldn’t fully isolate himself from his two pet nuisances. Mark insisted on sending him assloads of poorly shot photographs of random spots in the continental US. Taeyong WhatsApped him every time he saw a pretty man and occasionally bitched about the weather (spoiler alert: it rained. A lot.). And then there was Lucas. Lucas who FaceTimed Ten almost every evening, taking full advantage of the minimal time difference, to haphazardly recount his day and pepper Ten with questions about his own. 

Ten couldn’t really – or, rather, didn’t want to – say why he always answered. But he did.

“Oh, it’s you,” he said boredly when Lucas’s beaming face appeared on his phone screen.

_Stop acting like you’re not happy to see me. I know this is the highlight of your day. I bet you‘ve been checking your phone all evening, waiting for me to call._ Cocky Bastard never looked so good. 

“The hang-up button. It exists. And I will use it.” Ten really, really wanted to hit himself.

_I’ll just call you back. And I’ll keep calling until you pick up._

“And I will block you. End of story,” Ten replied with finality.

_You’re a lot scarier in person. Like this, you’re the size of my hand. I could put you in my pocket._ Lucas made a gesture suggesting he was about to slide his phone into the pocket of his sweatpants. 

“If you put me in your pocket, I will end this call and throw my phone away.” 

_Okay, okay. What did you to do today? I went to visit my grandma and she made so much food that even I was overwhelmed._

“The respect I have for your grandma is unquantifiable. She must teach me her ways,” Ten said appreciatively. “I went water-skiing with some friends from high school. It was fun. But I’m out of practice and ate shit a few times.”

_Are there pictures?_ Lucas asked hopefully.

“No, there are no pictures, you sadistic fuck,” Ten hissed. 

_A man can dream._

“Dream of something other than my tribulations.”

_But I like dreaming about you, Ten._ Lucas was, yet again, employing his – you guessed it – _puppy eyes._

“Oh, yeah?” Ten decided to have a little fun. “In your dreams, what am I doing?”

Lucas gulped. He’d obviously anticipated a different response. _Um, things._

“Things?” Ten could tell he’d latched onto something,,,juicy. “Care to be any _less_ specific?” 

_Nice things._ Lucas was either going through it or just as good at this as Ten was. 

“You’re killing me.”

_One time, I had a dream where we went for a picnic in the park. And you were painting. When I woke up, I was a little sad because it wasn’t real._ Lucas wasn’t looking directly at the camera anymore. 

“Oh, shit.” It was Ten’s turn to be surprised. “I mean, that’s ridiculously cute. Do you want to go for a picnic? We could do it when we get back to the States.”

Lucas resumed eye contact. _Yes! Can we get one of those special picnic baskets and sandwiches from the Italian bakery? And I want bubble tea. Also, we have to bring a ball in case there are any dogs in the park, and they want to play fetch_.

“Someone’s been planning this for a while,” Ten raised his eyebrows. 

_Picnics are the best, man._ Lucas was like a live wire. _By the way, did you just say I was ‘ridiculously cute’?_

Ten panicked for two seconds before selecting ‘play dumb’ from his (very short) list of possible reactions. “Not that I recall.”

_You definitely did._ Lucas needled. 

“Can you prove it?”

_You’re blushing._ Lucas replied elatedly. _Need I say more?_

Before he realized what he was doing, Ten touched his face. It was definitely warmer than normal. Fuck. 

“All right, just this once, I admit defeat.”

Lucas began pumping his fist erratically. _I win, I win, I broke Ten!_

“I’m so glad you’re not here because if you were, I would be forced to punch you.”

_Well, I’m glad too. Your punches fucking hurt._ Lucas shuddered visibly. 

“You wouldn’t know that if you knew how to behave.”

_You like me just the way I am._ Lucas winked. 

“Maybe I do. Maybe I don’t.”

_Yukhei, we’re going out for a bit. We should be back in an hour. Want anything?_ A voice called from Lucas’s end. _No thanks, I’m good, mom. See you later,_ he replied. 

“Yukhei?” Ten queried.

_My given name. I use Lucas in America because..._

“Americans,” Ten finished for him. “I’m well acquainted with that. Thank god for the Thai nickname practice. A part of my soul dies every time I imagine a frat boy struggling his way through Chittaphon.” 

_I didn’t know your name was Chittaphon. I like it._

“Well, now you do. So, we’ve covered names, what’s next? Favorite color?”

_Black and purple._ Lucas supplied. _You?_

“Oh, so we’re doing this?” Lucas nodded, so Ten continued. “Okay, also black. Any fears?” 

_Frogs._

“Frogs?” Ten repeated, incredulously.

_Please, don’t make me say it again._ Lucas begged. _What about you?_

“I’m afraid of ghosts. Like a normal fucking person.” Ten couldn’t help but laugh and Lucas stuck his tongue out, petulantly. 

“Ten, who are you talking to?” Tern steamrolled into Ten’s room and snatched his phone out of his hand. “Hi Lucas!”

_Tern, my dude! The real reason I called. What’s up?_

“Oh, nothing much. Are you and Ten getting married yet?” The devil was a woman and her name was Tern.

_Not yet. But do you want to be the best-person when we do?_

“Duh. But I feel like I’ll end up having to fight Mark for it.” 

“Um, hello?” Ten interjected testily, trying to wrest back his phone. “Do I get any say in this?” 

_So, you want to marry me then?_

“I never said that.”

“Kinda sounds like you did,” Tern provided, unhelpfully. 

“Why are you even here?” Ten demanded of his sister. “You are annoyance personified.”

Tern shook her head into the phone’s camera, “Do you see what I have to live with?”

_I feel ya, man. I have the good fortune of living with it too._

“Yeah, but at least I don’t want to marry it,” Tern teased.

“Can we talk about literally anything other than matrimony?” Ten was all but ready to physically remove Tern from his room.

“Let’s talk about Lucas’s new hair! I’m loving the red,” Tern said.

_Thank you! Ten told me I look like I committed a murder and forgot to wash the blood out._

“Don’t listen to him. The day you had it done, after he got off the phone with you, he came to me immediately to gush about it.”

“Okay, that’s enough,” Ten was nearly seething. “Goodbye, Tern. Get out.” He began kicking her off the bed to expedite the process.

“Ten is being a bitch so I’m gonna leave. Bye, Lucas! See you at the ceremony.” Tern cackled as she waved at Lucas and Ten gave her an especially hard kick. 

Once Tern was gone, Lucas began humming thoughtfully. _I knew you had to be lying about my hair. It looks so good. How could you not like it?_

“Why don’t you go stare lovingly at yourself in the mirror and leave me alone?” Ten griped. 

_I_ will _go look in the mirror. And I’ll take you with me._ Lucas rose from his bed and walked into the adjoining bathroom, which was painted a light blue color with dark furnishings. He set his phone on the sink counter, propped against the wall, and started messing with his hair. 

Ten sighed. “I can’t believe I’m watching this.”

_You can thank me later._ Lucas was pushing his bangs back and inspecting his forehead. Which was, of course, flawless. _Should I get another ear piercing?_ He asked, turning his head aside. 

“Of course. They’re hot.” No, Ten never learned.

_In that case, I’ll get several._ He tugged on the little dragon-shaped stud in his earlobe and then straightened up. _That’s enough for today. Back to bed._

“You’re enjoying this way too much.”

_Yes, yes, I am. What are you gonna do about it?_

“I’m going to hang up,” Ten said haughtily even though he could easily keep talking to Lucas all night. Not that he would ever confess to that. 

_You’re going to abandon me? What a terrible fiancé you are._ Lucas sniffed for effect. 

“Goodbye, _Yukhei._ May you sleep terribly.”

_Good night, Chittaphon. May you not sleep at all._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At the risk of revealing that I'm old as shit, have y'all heard the [Friday remix](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCFOcqsnc9Y)??? Still can't believe that originally came out 10 fucking years ago. And Rebecca Black being a queer idol is definitely one of the best things that I learned in 2021.


	10. Bad Alive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Usually, usually, usually I don't pay no mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To everyone who said the last update made their Valentine's Day: OHMYGOD MY HEART I FEEL SO WARM FUZZY THAT I DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH MYSELF!!! LOVE TO YOU ALL <3

Coming back from vacation, especially when vacation was actually going _home_ , was always a bizarre experience. For Ten, the relief of resuming his routine was quickly cancelled out by the visceral recollection of the small fact of his roommates. Absence made the heart grow fonder and the memory grow a great deal fuzzier. Ten was in no way prepared for the shock his system endured when he walked through the front door and was instantly tackled to the floor by an unprecedentedly enthusiastic Lucas. 

“You’re back, you’re back!” he cried, squeezing Ten’s torso like he was trying to make orange juice with it. 

“Yeah, back from the dead,” Mark came up behind Lucas and began hauling him off Ten. “You nearly killed him.” 

Ten, still entirely shooketh, lay on the floor and stared up at the two men standing above him. 

Lucas’s forehead creased, “Ten, are you all right? You’re not dead, right? I’m sorry, I’ll be more careful next time.”

Ten regained the ability to verbalize, “First of all, not dead. Secondly, there will be no next time. You will never do that to me again.” 

“Right, because I’m going to be gentler,” Lucas grinned and helped Ten up, his movements visibly more measured. 

“Don’t purposely misunderstand me, fool,” Ten body-checked Lucas and hugged Mark, bopping his head. “How have you been, my lovely offspring?”

“Good! The road trip was so long I thought I was going to throw myself out the window of the van, but I got some cool stuff for you guys. I’ll give it to you later. I wanna wrap everything up first.” 

“Presents!” Lucas shrieked. 

“If you don’t lower your voice by a significant number of decibels, there will be _no_ presents for you, heathen,” Ten had missed the opportunity to threaten Lucas every time he stepped out of line. “Now, I’m going to wash the plane grime off.” 

When Ten sallied forth, feeling like a human again, Mark was in the living room paying rapt attention to his phone. Ten’s appearance prompted him to look up.

“Yo, you up for going out tonight? Since we’re all back now, Lucas and I were thinking of getting everyone together. I’ve already asked Hyuck and Taeyong. They’re down.” 

“A bitch can’t resist a night on the town. Count me in. I slept on the plane. Well, planes.” Ten went into the kitchen and started fixing himself a cup of coffee. Mark joined him.

“Cool. Taeyong suggested that queer club over in Central, since he knows the bouncer. And they let underage people in. With stamps.” 

“Beautiful. When do we leave?” Ten asked, sipping from a sky-blue mug. 

“Like nine? I don’t want to go too late since we’re still jet-lagged.” Mark gestured for Ten to pour him a cup. 

“Okay. I’ll finish this and then go to the liquor store because I assume we’re pregaming.” 

Mark gave him a look that was more eloquent than any words would have been. 

“Fix your face,” Ten snapped his fingers in Mark’s direction before exiting the room. 

***

Ten took clubbing very seriously. The outfit had to be gorgeous _and_ comfortable. The makeup had to be killer. At least an hour of prep time was needed. So, while Lucas, Mark, and Donghyuck gulped down beers on the sofa, Ten cogitated over pairs of pants and spent a solid twenty minutes on his eyes alone. 

After settling on a pair of low-riding pleather pants and a shimmery, translucent top, Ten joined the others, pouring himself a glass of rum and coke. Taeyong had arrived, looking equally stunning.

“Babe, you’re a sight for sore eyes,” Ten said, embracing his friend. 

“You’re a vision yourself,” Taeyong replied, pecking his cheek. 

“Damn, Mark, I picked the wrong member of your social circle. Your friends are way hotter than you,” Donghyuck stated, provoking a slapping attack from his highly unamused boyfriend. 

“This is why I like you, Donghyuck,” Ten said, laughing. 

“Good thing you like him, because I’m very rapidly beginning to hate him,” Mark hissed mid-smack. 

“Take that back this instant,” Donghyuck replied, dodging. “You adore me.” 

“You guys are like the more adorable version of Ten and Lucas,” Taeyong remarked, out of nowhere. 

The mention of his other roommate made Ten realize that he’d been oddly quiet since Ten came in. Ten sought him out with his eyes and found that Lucas was staring at him in a way that he’d never really stared before. When they made eye contact, Lucas’s features transformed into their signature shit-eating grin and he patted his lap. Ten scoffed and turned back to Taeyong. 

“Please, don’t suggest I would make the same mistake with Lucas as Donghyuck did with Mark.” He knew it was an unnecessarily scathing thing to say, but he was shaken by Lucas’s fire eyes. 

“Ten, how is that you manage to insult three people in one sentence?” Mark had finally ceased his attempt on Donghyuck’s life. 

“Mere mortals cannot grasp the extent of my power,” Ten said as he sat himself on Lucas’s thighs: a consolation prize for the savagery of his earlier statement. Lucas immediately began pulling on the skin of his elbows. 

“We should probably head out. Who’s calling the Lyft?” Taeyong prompted, smoothly stepping into his role as unofficial leader of their friend group. 

“I’ll get it,” Ten offered. “But you creatures need to Venmo me as soon as I get charged.”

Ten was satisfied by the chorus of “okay’s” he received, taking out his phone to summon their ride. Last minute touch ups and shoe changes were made in the ten minutes it took for the car to arrive. Once everyone had piled into the Honda Pilot and the vehicle was winding along the city streets, excitement began to thrum through Ten’s veins. 

The line in front of NEO was about as long as one would expect on a Friday night in late August. Taeyong snaked his way to the front and engaged the bouncer, who was rocking a remarkably classy blonde mullet, in an animated conversation, hugging them and beckoning for Ten, Lucas, Mark, and Donghyuck to join him. 

“Guys, this is Pearl. They’re an absolute dream so they’re gonna let us skip the line!”

“Okay, lovelies, get your pretty asses inside before I lose my job,” Pearl opened the door and ushered the five of them through it. 

Inside the club, which was located in a large industrial building with high ceilings and exposed iron supports, people were already on the dance floor. However, the crowd in the venue was not large enough to prevent the quintet from locating a booth. Ten and Taeyong took turns acquiring everyone’s drink order so they could work around the age limitations. Frankly, if you behaved yourself, no one was going to throw you out no matter how much you resembled a literal baby. The trick was to behave. Ten worried doing so was beyond at least two of their number’s capabilities…

As everyone worked through their cocktails and exchanged thinly veiled insults, Ten perused the crowd. He wasn’t really registering individuals until someone he recognized crossed his field of vision. He nudged Taeyong, pointing. 

“Is that who I think it is?”

“Oh my god, yes. That’s Jaehyun. Put your hand down!” Taeyong screeched, suddenly very panicky. 

“Yo, Instructor—” Taeyong launched himself at Lucas before he could finish. 

“No, no, no. Don’t you fucking dare!” His hand was firmly clamped over Lucas’s mouth. 

Lucas shook himself free. “Holy shit, when you want to be, you’re even scarier than Ten.” 

“My dignity is on the line, okay?” Taeyong reseated himself at Ten’s side. 

“You should go talk to him,” Mark piped up. “I think he’s alone.” 

“Ask him to dance!” Donghyuck added, taking advantage of Mark’s momentary distraction to steal some of his drink. 

“If you don’t, I will,” Lucas joked. “Man is looking mighty fine.” 

“Calm down, Mr. Steal-Your-Man, Taeyong is such a coward he might just let you,” Ten admonished. 

“I’m not a coward!” Taeyong protested, one fist connecting with the table. 

“Prove it,” four voices chorused. 

“Fine, I will.” Taeyong was possessed of a newfound confidence as he rose from the booth and made his way to where Jaehyun was hovering near the bar. 

“Fuck, he really went for it,” Mark muttered in disbelief. 

“He really likes him,” Ten said, smiling at the thought. He genuinely wanted this for his best friend. Taeyong had been pining for way too fucking long. 

They watched as Taeyong greeted Jaehyun, talking to him briefly, before Jaehyun guided Taeyong to the dance floor and the two were lost in the crush of writhing bodies. 

“Looks like that went hella smooth,” Donghyuck observed. “We should dance too!” He wrenched Mark to his feet and dragged him away, leaving Ten with his most favoritest person on Earth. 

“So.”

“So,” Lucas replied. 

“We should probably dance,” Ten forced out. 

“Seeing as we’re both very good at it. Well, you’re _okay_.” Lucas chuckled when Ten flicked him. “Yes, we should.” He stood and held his right hand out to Ten, who took it reluctantly. Or at least he tried to _seem_ reluctant. 

A couple of hours passed, during which Ten danced with Lucas, Mark, Donghyuck, and a number of strangers. Taeyong and Jaehyun could be seen on the other side of the room, but no one dared interrupt them. The place had filled up as the night progressed and the energy was more intoxicating than anything the bar was serving. 

Needing a moment to breathe, Ten found an empty booth and sat down. Lucas followed him, a worried look on his face.

“You okay?” He rested one palm on Ten’s knee. 

“Yeah, yeah. Actually, I just had an idea,” Ten leaned forward to whisper in Lucas’s ear. 

Lucas’s eyes widened and he nodded vigorously. Ten climbed over him and fought his way to where the DJ was set up. He caught the person’s attention and showed them a message he’d typed out on his phone. They gave him a thumbs up and Ten returned to Lucas. 

“We should do a shot first.” 

“Let me guess: tequila?” Lucas stood up. 

“You know me so well,” Ten smiled, clinging to his arm.

“We’ll have two shots of tequila, please.” Ten placed his card on the bar top and the bartender ran it, pouring the liquor with their other hand. 

Just as the tequila burned its way down Ten’s throat, the DJ paused the music and announced, “People, people, please make room on the floor. We have a surprise for y’all!” 

“That’s our queue.” Ten reached for Lucas’s hand. “You ready?” 

“As I’ll ever be.” 

They strutted – yes, strutted – into the space vacated by the other club-goers and placed themselves back to back. Ten gave the DJ a nod and the opening notes of ‘Fever’ rang out. 

Ten and Lucas had been practicing the choreography since June. At this point, it was perfect. They moved around one another with ease, in synch at all the right moments, maintaining an ever-increasing tension. The presence of an audience, something lacking in the studio, enhanced the experience like a hit of adrenaline injected directly into the bloodstream. When they reached Ten’s favorite part, the two verses when they danced completely together, Ten was almost certain he was about to unlock the ability to fly.

As the song ended and the two of them stopped dancing before taking a bow, pandemonium erupted. People flooded the dance floor, screaming their approval and attempting to get as close to Ten and Lucas as they possibly could to congratulate them. Ten had never crowd-surfed before. It wasn’t the most reassuring activity, physically, but he didn’t mind it. Knowing that others appreciated and enjoyed something he’d made, him and Lucas, so much, was one of the best feelings he’d ever had.

Somebody seized him around the middle and Ten turned to push away this particularly eager congratulant, only to be greeted with Lucas’s ecstatic countenance. Ten halted his struggle to escape and allowed himself to be led out of the club into the adjacent alley. He leant back against the wall, heedless of its filth, and laughed. 

“That was fucking awesome,” Lucas said from where he’d positioned himself to Ten’s left. 

“Yes, it was.” Ten was too elated to do anything other than agree. 

“I almost want to do it again.”

“I don’t think my psyche could handle take two,” Ten laughed again. _God_ , he was giddy as fuck. 

“Ten,” Lucas breathed, stepping in front of him and placing his palms against the wall to either side of Ten’s head. 

Ten could feel his pulse surging as he inhaled. “Yes?” 

Lucas seemed like he was about to say, or do, something but thought better of it. He shook his head once before giving Ten a mischievous smile and removing his hands from their unnerving location. 

“Let’s go back in and find the others. It’s late.” 

“Let’s. I’m beginning to have visions of my bed,” Ten replied, pushing down the vague sense of disappointment that had arisen unbidden after Lucas’s actions. Or inactions. 

Mark and Donghyuck proved to be the easiest to recover. They were making out heavily in a booth because they had no respect whatsoever for the rest of humanity _and_ they were exceedingly drunk. 

With some difficulty, Ten separated them. “Where’s Taeyong?”

Mark thought for a moment, eyes glassy and lips swollen. “I think he went home with Jaehyun. They left right after you guys performed. Which was really cool, by the way.” 

“You two are so, so hot, ohmygod,” Donghyuck gushed. Ten was too busy becoming extremely concerned to respond to him. 

“Wait, he went home with Jaehyun and you didn’t think to tell me sooner?” 

“He said he was feeling sick so Jaehyun offered to bring him back to his apartment. I figured it was cool?” Mark looked chastened, despite his high level of inebriation. 

“Yeah, I’m not so sure. We’re leaving, come on.” Ten tugged at Mark’s and Donghyuck’s shirts, encouraging them to rise. “Lucas, can you get our ride?”

“Sure.” Lucas was being unusually docile. “Jaehyun’s a good guy. I think Taeyong will be okay.” 

“I’m going to call him anyway.” 

Ten, Mark, and Donghyuck squished themselves into the back of the Corolla that picked them up. Lucas rode shotgun. Ten pressed Taeyong’s name in his Favorites as soon as he was buckled in.

“Tae?” 

_Ten? Hi. You and Lucas were incredible._

“Thank you. Are you okay? What’s wrong?” Ten tried not to sound like an anxious parent and failed miserably. 

_I just have a migraine. Jaehyun brought me back to my place and now I’m trying to convince him that he doesn’t have to sleep on the couch because I am, in fact, going to be fine._

“Okay, take some Advil and get a good rest. Now, put Jaehyun on.”

It was a testament to the amount of pain Taeyong must actually be experiencing that he didn’t protest. _Here he is._

“Jaehyun, this is Ten. Taeyong’s best friend.”

 _Hello. It’s nice to meet you. Even if just by phone._ Jaehyun’s voice was rather beautiful. 

“He’s going to bitch about it, but please stay with him. Make sure he takes medicine and sleeps. And if you try anything, there are four people here who are ready and willing to kill you.”

“Five,” the taxi driver added and Lucas high-fived them appreciatively.

Jaehyun chuckled. _I believe and appreciate that. I will take care of him. You’re a really good friend, Ten. I’ll make sure he texts you in the morning._

“You’re not too bad yourself. Good night, Jaehyun. Give Taeyong a kiss for me.” Ten could hear Jaehyun’s shocked intake of breath as he hung up. 

When he lowered the phone from his ear, he saw a text notification.

 **LucASS |** _ur rly adorable when ur worried abt ur friends_

 **10** **|** _You think me threatening murder is adorable?_

 **LucASS |** _r u kink-shaming me?_

 **10 |** _No, I’m worried you might be psychologically compromised._

 **LucASS** **|** _i think ur just embarrassed bc i said u were adorable_

 **10** **|** _I think I’m just embarrassed because I know you._

 **10** **|** _You were right about Jaehyun. He’s decent. He might even be worthy._

 **LucASS** **|** _im always right. shame on u for ever doubting me_

 **10 |** _Oh, shut up, you smug bastard. I can see you grinning in the side view mirror._

 **LucASS** **|** _im grinning at you bc ur pretty_

 **10** **|** _Jesus fucking Christ, you’re drunk._

 **LucASS** **|** _i will still think ur pretty when im sober, just wait and see_

 **10** **|** _Whatever you say, sweetheart._

 **LucASS |** <3333

Ten rolled his eyes as the car pulled up in front of their building and they disembarked, thanking the driver. In the elevator, it dawned on him just how fatigued he was, and he had to catch himself from falling asleep then and there. 

Mark and Donghyuck made a crooked beeline for Mark’s bedroom. Ten and Lucas stood in the living room staring at one another. Zombie-like. 

“Can I sleep in your room?” Lucas asked.

Ten gawked at him. “Are you being for real?” 

“Yes, I want to be near you.” Lucas rubbed at his eyes.

“Oh my god. Fine. But you have to behave,” Ten could hardly believe he was agreeing to this terrible, horrible, no good, very bad idea. 

“I promise.” 

In Ten’s bedroom, Lucas rid himself of everything but his boxers and collapsed onto the bed, passing out before his head even hit the pillow. Ten shook his own head before more thoroughly preparing for bed and joining him. 

“I just know I’m gonna wake up tomorrow and you’re going to have stolen every inch of the covers,” he whispered as he turned off the light. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'ALL, gimme gimme? that shit is FIRE. ohmygod the MV: the transitions are next level. and the harness/kilt-like skirt combo???? DIVINE.  
> i would love to talk to you guys!! hit me up on [twitter](https://twitter.com/boudiccabitch), DMs are always open 🤩


	11. Jopping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter a,,,conflict of interest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love the love all you lovely people are giving me. LOVEHOLIC TOMORROW, LET'S GOOOOOO!

Lucas not only hogged all the covers. He pushed them off the bed and enveloped Ten’s whole body in his vice-like grip to compensate for the loss. When Ten woke up he became very knowledgeable about what it must be like to be a body pillow.

“Lucas?” Ten made a rather pathetic attempt at breaking free.

“Mmm,” Lucas groaned, his eyes remaining tightly shut.

“I don’t really classify this as behaving.”

“Yeah, but do you like it?”

“Seeing as I cannot move – or, honestly, even _breathe_ – no, I don’t particularly like it.” Ten felt like even less of a morning person than usual. 

“You lie,” Lucas accused, loosening his hold infinitesimally. “In the middle of the night, you rolled into me and wouldn’t leave. I had no choice but to bear-hug you.” 

Ten’s frustration metamorphosed into outrage in nanoseconds. “I would never! This is slander. Defamation. I’m suing.” 

“Call it what you want,” Lucas said into the top of his head. “I call it: the truth.” 

“I don’t even like you!” Ten shouted, not really caring if he woke Mark and Donghyuck. 

“I’m going to advise you against taking me to court. I think you’d be liable to commit perjury.” Lucas tickled his ribs and Ten kicked at him in response. 

“I let you into my bed and this is the thank you I get. Unfuckingbelivable.” Ten sighed melodramatically, closing his eyes.

“I’ll give you a kiss. Would that be better?” Lucas used one arm to keep Ten in place and the other to turn Ten’s face towards him. 

“Absolutely not!” Ten began flailing like a moribund fish again. “Lucas, I _swear_.” 

Ten’s protests fell on deaf ears as Lucas pressed a very wet kiss to his cheek before hopping out of the bed and running, still mostly naked, into the hall. 

“What the _hell_?” Mark sounded as if he’d just seen a ghost and stepped on a Lego at the exact same time. 

“Oh, hi Mark. Sleep well?” Lucas asked, completely unfazed. 

“Don’t ‘oh, hi Mark’ me!” Mark had yet to recover. “Did you just walk out of Ten’s room this early in the morning, dressed like _that_?” 

“Yes. I did. What about it?” Ten knew, he just fucking knew, Lucas was enjoying every moment of this. 

“Did you…? Are you guys…? I mean, you’re not, like…” Finishing sentences didn’t appear to be a skill Mark possessed. 

“Did we fuck?” The word, in that context, in Lucas’s mouth, was doing very unkind things to Ten. “No. Sorry to disappoint. Better luck next time!” 

“That’s not what I—” Lucas must have given Mark a Look because he backtracked. “Okay, that is what I meant. I just wasn’t expecting this. Whatever it is.” 

“It’s nothing more than Lucas being a big drunk baby who can’t sleep in his own fucking bed and me, being an even bigger idiot, letting him sleep in mine,” Ten supplied, beyond done with being a spectator to this catastrophe. 

“Ten and Lucas finally slept together?” Donghyuck’s excitement easily rivaled Mark’s stupefaction. 

“Shut up, Hyuck. No, they didn’t. I mean, they did. But not like that,” Mark called back. 

“Oh, boo. Get on it, you two. Your sexual tension: it’s choking me, and not in a fun way,” Donghyuck whined as Ten debated climbing out the window and never, ever coming back. 

“Why don’t you just focus on screwing Mark?” Lucas teased. “I’m sure it’s not an easy task.” Ten heard crashes and grunts in the hall. Undoubtedly, Mark was seeking retribution. 

Ten lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling. “I hate it here,” he murmured even though he probably didn’t mean it.

***

Delight of all delights had reentered their lives. School. Fucking bitch ass _college._ September was already doing an excellent job of going by way too fast because it always did that. October must have some shit on it, honestly. There was no reason, none, for 30 days to elapse that quickly. 

Everyone was horrifically busy again: slogging through homework, rushing to classes and meetings and practices, juggling work, sleeping sporadically, applying for this, reapplying for that, contemplating the possibility of dropping out every time a grade turned out a little lower than expected. Ten was in his element while also being exceedingly glad that he only had one year of this shit left. 

On Friday evenings, as a reward for surviving another week, Ten made a glorious effort to do something ‘fun.’ Usually, that entailed eating out with Lucas and Mark. Which depending on how hyper the two were feeling, could be anything from almost pleasant to borderline nightmare-inducing. Every time, Ten rolled an imaginary dice and prayed.

Now, at five pm on a Friday, Ten was ready to take his life in his hands yet again.

“Miscreants,” he addressed his roommates as they all languished in the living room. “Where are we going tonight?”

“Actually, I think I’ll pass. Not really feeling up to it,” Mark demurred. 

“Let me guess,” Ten said sarcastically. “Donghyuck is coming over.” 

“What? I never said that!” Mark sounded injured. And guilty. 

“You didn’t have to,” Lucas stepped in. “You have that ‘I’m gonna get laid’ look about you.” 

“No, I don’t!” Mark crossed his arms. “I hate you guys. The only time you ever work together is when you want to antagonize me.” 

“A valorous purpose unites all factions,” Ten preached. 

Mark snorted derisively and stalked into the kitchen, smacking the cabinets around more for effect than because he actually needed anything in them. 

“Just us, then,” Ten rested his feet across Lucas’s thighs. 

“I want sushi.” Ten always appreciated the fact that with Lucas there was never any of this “oh, where should we eat?” and then ten years of faux-hesitant back and forth bullshit when it came to choosing a restaurant. 

“Go get dressed in something that won’t make me ashamed to be associating with you.” Ten swung his legs down. 

“You don’t like my sweats?” Lucas pouted. Ten was at least 98.4% sure that he was perfectly aware that the expression worked wonders for his lips. 

“Lucas, they have a hole. In the ass!” 

“Oh, yeah,” Lucas stood up and tugged at the split in the seat of his pants, which, admittedly, was very small. But it was there and to Ten that’s what mattered. “Gimme five.” 

“Make it three. I’m hungry,” Ten said for the sake of contrariness and nothing else. 

Lucas scampered back in four. A compromise. How diplomatic. Ten gave him a once over and nodded approvingly. 

“Let’s go.” 

Just as Ten thought they’d successfully evaded any commentary from a no doubt still ruffled Mark, he yelled from his room, “Have fun on your date, losers!”

“Have fun with your boy toy,” Lucas replied, beating Ten to the punch. 

“So, if this is a date,” Lucas began, pulling the door closed behind them. “Does that mean you’ll pay?” 

“One, not a date. Two, do I look like I’m made of money?” _Shit, does this qualify as a date? Am_ I _going on a date with_ Lucas _? Jesus, take the wheel._ Ten’s internal dialogue rapidly spun out of control. 

“I don’t know. You look pretty expensive to me,” Lucas smirked, running a finger along Ten’s neck. No, the man had still not grasped the concept of personal space.

“I’m going to punish you for this clownery one day,” Ten gritted out, his skin tingling where Lucas had touched it. 

“Oh, Ten, are you gonna hold me down? Are you gonna hit me?” Lucas either didn’t value his life or didn’t realize it was hanging in the balance. 

“Get in the fucking elevator.” Ten wasn’t sure whether he should laugh or cry. Probably both. 

“I like it when you order me around,” Lucas purred, biting his lip. _There he goes with the goddamn lips again._

“Lucas.”

“Ten.”

“Urghhh.” Ten banged his head repeatedly against the elevator and Lucas, the bastard, started laughing. 

“Okay, okay,” Lucas managed, regaining his composure. “I’ll behave. Stop killing brain cells.” He reached out and gently pulled Ten away from the wall. 

“Thank you.” Ten lay back against Lucas’s broad chest, only righting himself when the elevator doors slid open. 

They held hands all the way to the restaurant. Not because this was a date but because they’re two very good friends who like skinship. Okay? 

The waiter led them to a booth towards the back and Ten sat down on one side, expecting Lucas to take the other. However, Lucas slipped in beside him as if it was perfectly acceptable and not at all out of the ordinary to act like the other side of the table just,,,didn’t exist. For a few seconds, Ten considered saying something before deciding against it. Nothing was making any kind of sense tonight and he was too tired to do anything other than just go with it.

“So, should I tell them to bring the whole menu or…?” Ten asked, unceasingly entertained by the magnitude of Lucas’s appetite. 

“If you want to. After all, you’re paying,” Lucas elbowed him playfully. 

“In that case, you’re allowed a seaweed salad and that’s it.”

“Oh, so you will pay then?” Lucas sounded a lot more hopeful than was really decent.

“Yes, I will pay.” Ten loved the way Lucas’s features went through several shades of emotion before settling on contrition. 

“No, no, man, I wasn’t serious.” Lucas was doing his wet dog headshake. “We’ll split the check like we always do!” 

“We will not. Now, shut up and choose something to consume at a pace neither healthy nor sustainable.” Ten hoped the authority he imbued his voice with would dissuade Lucas from further complaint. 

The waiter returned to collect Ten and Lucas’s orders. Lucas, as usual, went first. 

“I’ll have two tuna rolls and two salmon rolls. I’ll also have a side of shrimp tempura. Oh, and can we get edamame to share?” 

The waiter didn’t even bother asking if that was all, instead turning to Ten once they finished writing. 

“I’ll have the small sashimi plate and the grilled squid, please.” 

“I’ll bring the edamame right out!” 

“Thank you!” Lucas and Ten said together. The couple vibes, they were painful. 

“I know I vehemently denied this being a date earlier but I’m not gonna lie, it feels like a fucking date.” Ten wasn’t even sure why said the things he said anymore. 

“I know how to make it feel even more like a date,” Lucas, who had finished all of his own water, moved on to Ten’s. “Remember when I was in Hong Kong and you were in Thailand and we were asking each other all those questions about colors and shit? Let’s do it again!” 

“Your brain is a national treasure. I’ll go first: why do you want to be a firefighter?” 

Despite the question being a little harder to answer than your favorite fucking color, Lucas replied without pause. “I know it sounds kinda trite, but I want to help people. Like, since I was a kid, I wanted to help people and when I learned about what firefighters do, I thought: I want to do that too. And I’m pretty strong and stupidly fearless, so I think it’ll work out. What do you want to be? What do you even study?” Lucas frowned. “How do I not know this?” 

Ten chuckled. “Honestly, I don’t know what you’re studying either, so that’ll be my next question. But first, my major and life goals. So, in undergrad I was studying fine arts and world literatures. Now, I’m getting an MFA in interdisciplinary visual arts. Ultimately, I want to be an illustrator. I’m still trying to figure out the specifics,” Ten finished, looking expectantly at Lucas. 

“May I see something you drew one day?” Ten nodded, shocked Lucas hadn’t asked the typical sickening question ‘will you draw me?!?!?’ given his formidable vanity. Satisfied, Lucas continued, “I’m studying anthropology. I chose it because I love people and find everyone fascinating. I also really enjoy learning about cultures and traditions from around the world.” Lucas’s eyes and smile were competing for the opportunity to blind Ten, who, at the moment, wouldn’t entirely have minded such a fate. “Do you like to travel?” 

“Fuck yes. I fully intend to spend the majority of my very small illustrator’s salary on visiting as many countries as possible. You?” The edamame arrived and Lucas immediately dug in before responding. 

“Yeah, I love traveling too. We should go somewhere together, Ten!” Lucas sucked on a legume excitedly. “Any ideas?” 

“I want to go to Turkey. Specifically, to the region of [Cappadocia](https://w-dog.pw/android-wallpapers/9/2/497523977705263/cappadocia-turkey-mountain-rock-night-sky-lights-house.jpg). The landscapes there are incredible. And they have air balloons.” 

“Hot air balloons?” Ten knew that particular tidbit would catch Lucas’s attention. “Can we leave tomorrow?”

“Yes, you may begin walking tomorrow. By the time you arrive I will have saved up enough money to join you. By plane.” Ten fell sideways in the booth, cackling, as Lucas fired soybeans at him. 

“I guess I’ll just go somewhere with Mark since you’re being mean,” Lucas relented, possibly regretting having wasted perfectly good food.

“Go with Mark? If you two tried to travel together you’d end up in the wrong fucking country,” Ten scoffed.

“You may, in fact, not be wrong there.” 

“I know I’m not wrong. You two share a brain cell and it’s in a perpetual state of over-taxation.” Ten made room on the tabletop for the entrees as the waiter set them down. 

“You’re a terrible date. You’re supposed to be wooing me. Which involves being nice,” Lucas tore into the tempura with nothing short of reckless abandon. 

“Maybe you should be a little easier to be nice to. Which involves not stealing my food!” Ten swatted Lucas’s hand as it reached for a piece of octopus on his plate. 

“You don’t want to share? Does your cruelty ever end?” Lucas’s puppy eyes no longer had an effect on Ten. He was immune.

“Lucas, they just emptied the whole ocean to make your dinner. Fuck off.”

For a few minutes, neither spoke, focusing on their respective meals. Ten always marveled at food’s unique ability to silence Lucas. For a while. 

“Can I tell you something?” 

“That sounds ominous, but sure,” Ten replied warily. 

“The day I came to look at our apartment I was so nervous.” Lucas somehow looked _small_.

“You? Nervous?” Ten was dumbfounded. “Why?”

“Because I really needed a place to live and I really liked the idea of living with Mark. But he gave me this vibe that you were hard to impress...and then I got there, and you looked how you look and I was...yeah.” Lucas prodded a piece of sushi, distractedly. 

Briefly, Ten didn’t know what to do with himself. “Looked how I look? What does that even _mean_?” 

“Ten,” Lucas hissed theatrically, “don’t make me tell you you’re beautiful in front of all these people.” 

Welp. 

Ten really lived like this. Press F to pay respects.

“Andddd, now you’re blushing. Mission: accomplished,” Lucas clapped and almost pulled Ten into his lap he hugged him so aggressively. Ten, who was still short-circuiting, let out a little whine of dismay. 

“I knew I shouldn’t have come out with you without Mark to protect me,” Ten lamented. 

“Not really relevant. When I want to hug you, no one’s getting in my way, not even ya boy Mork,” Lucas kept one arm curled around Ten and used the other to reopen the menu which the waiter had conveniently left on the table. “Let’s have dessert. Do you like mochi?” 

“Yes, I like mochi. Do they have ones with red bean paste?” 

“Yep!” Lucas beckoned over the waiter. “An order of the red bean mochi, please.”

While they ate dessert and paid for the meal, Lucas failed to let go of Ten. He even insisted on feeding him the mochi, at which Ten huffed and puffed as he chewed. As they were leaving the restaurant, the host smiled at them and said, “You guys are adorable.” 

Ten sighed and Lucas beamed, replying with vivacity, “Thank you!”

The night was pleasantly cool and suddenly Ten didn’t want to go back inside so quickly. “Would you mind if we went for a walk? I mean, instead of heading straight home.”

“Sure! We should go to the river. I bet it looks awesome at night.” Lucas took off, dragging Ten along behind him. 

“Slow down, you fucking gazelle. Some of us don’t have legs for days.” 

Lucas stopped, allowing Ten to catch up with him. “Sometimes, I forget that you’re fun-sized.” 

Ten summoned the most indignant expression in his repertoire and turned on his heel, only to be bodily prevented from moving any further by a highly entertained Lucas.

“Release me. I don’t want to go with you to the goddamn river anymore!” Ten strained against the unyielding grip Lucas had on him. 

“Yes, you do.” 

“No, I don’t. How would you even know?” 

“Simple: you’re not trying as hard to break free as I know you’re capable of,” Lucas replied confidently. “Now, come on.” 

“I hate you, I hate you, I hate you,” Ten chanted as Lucas clasped his hand and they resumed their journey river-ward. 

“Keep telling yourself that. Maybe one day it’ll be true.”

The river was just breathtaking enough to make the torment from Lucas worthwhile. Lights along the opposite bank twinkled and a faint breeze blew in off the water’s surface. Ten and Lucas stood, wordless, equally awed by the subtle splendor. 

“It’s really lovely here,” Ten whispered. To speak at any greater volume seemed indecent. Disrespectful. 

“It is,” Lucas murmured back. “Aren’t you glad you came?” 

“Maybe.” 

Their walk home was quiet, gentle, each man wrapped up in his own thoughts. As much as Ten (grudgingly) loved Lucas’s customary ebullience, he cherished these moments of shared calm. Too soon they were entering their building, the evening at last drawing to a close. 

As Lucas unlocked the front door, Ten said, “How much do you want to bet Mark and Donghyuck are _doing it_ right now?”

“I don’t think there’s any point in betting seeing as we’re both on the same page…” 

The sounds, emanating from Mark’s bedroom, that hit them as soon as Lucas pushed open the door proved Ten’s oracular prowess. 

“And this is why I have soundproof headphones,” Ten sighed. 

“At least, they’re having fun.” Lucas was in the kitchen, fridge-shopping, because apparently dinner’s feast hadn’t been enough for him. 

“Can they have fun _elsewhere_?” Ten grouched. 

“Oh, come on, it’s not even that bad,” Lucas remarked just as a particularly loud moan echoed through the apartment. 

Lucas and Ten stared at one another for at least eight seconds before Ten eked out a strangled “headphones, now” and they both bolted to their rooms. 

As Ten puttered around his room, tidying, and readying himself for a shower, he received a notification via his headphones. Assuming Lucas had sent him some snarky comment about their current situation, he picked up his phone and was surprised to discover a different name than the one he’d expected. 

**Johnny** | _hey ten, what’s up???_

Johnny Seo. The man Ten had been casually crushing on since at least second year. ‘Casually’ because he’d never actually done anything about it. He and Johnny moved in similar social circles, followed one another on social media, and hung out amongst a few other friends often enough. But they’d never really spent time together one on one and they only ever talked when other people were around. Ten was fairly certain he only had Johnny’s number because they were part of the same group chat. In other words, Ten had yearned from afar. 

Coincidentally, he’d been considering making a move earlier that year but then Lucas fucking crash landed into his life. Which kind of obliterated everything else in a hundred-mile radius. Including poor Johnny. But that didn’t mean Ten was _completely_ disinterested. In fact, despite the events of the evening, Ten felt a shot of anticipation run through him upon seeing Johnny’s name. You don’t like someone for that long and then just,,,forget about it. Well, at least Ten didn’t.

 **10** | _Hi Johnny, I am well – dragging my ass through my master’s. How about you?_

 **Johnny** | _i’m good too! remember that acting agency i interned for last year?_

 **10** | _I am going to say yes to be polite, but truthfully my brain is a sieve._

 **Johnny** | _lmfaooo relatable. anyway they hired me! i started in august. so i’ve been working mostly._

 **10** | _C*ngratulations! (Yes, you can thank me for putting the asterisk and sparing you the confetti.)_

 **Johnny** | _but i like the confetti!_

 **10** | _Of course you do_ 🙄

 **Johnny** | _are you free next weekend? i’d love to catch up in person if you are. we could get coffee_

Ten hesitated before responding. Did he want to go out with Johnny? Because it seemed like that’s what Johnny was doing: asking him out. Especially, since they’d never done anything like this together before. But maybe Ten was overthinking it. Perhaps Johnny really did just want to catch up. Platonically. Or not. Ten couldn’t be further away from the realm of surety. But he _was_ curious. 

**10** | _I can do Sunday._

**Johnny** | _omg yay. does 11 work?_

 **10** | _Yeah. I know this eclectic Puerto Rican place Café Feo, sound good?_

 **Johnny** | _yes!!! see you then_ 😊

 **10** | See you 😸

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i listened to Cherry Bomb while proofing this chapter -- if you haven't listened to it recently, i invite you to do so now 😙😙😙
> 
> y'all knew the rainbows and unicorns weren't going to last Forever 🙂
> 
> edit/addition/whateverthefuck: OMFG I just saw [this post](https://www.instagram.com/p/CLXXIS3AKdT/?igshid=po1ufc7u0sro) about cows on IG and felt the need to share it after last updates cows n hats clownery.


	12. Black on Black

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Boo ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there's a lil bit of español, see end notes for translation! and for those of you who are like "johnny whatttt," DON'T WORRY!!! LuTen is endamge, babies!

Ten wasn’t nervous so much as he was unsure what to expect from the date with Johnny. For one, there was the simple fact that whether or not it _was_ a date remained a mystery. As for his feelings regarding the matter: they were so labyrinthine that he wasn’t even going to begin considering the possibility of tackling them. He was just going to get up on Sunday, get dressed, walk to the coffee shop, and see what happened. Or at least that’s what he told himself. In reality, he spent the whole week waging silent wars with his psyche. 

Sunday morning’s arrival was a double-edged sword. Ten experienced a profound sense of relief and then a smidgen of fear at the thought that what he was about to do might turn out not to be the right thing to do at all. 

“Ten, holy fuck, your brain is like a hamster on a treadmill,” he screeched at himself in the mirror. “Stop overthinking. Now.” 

Someone knocked on the bathroom door. “You okay in there?” Mark asked, sounding genuinely concerned. 

“Yes, I’m fine. Just being a dramatic hot mess again. Nothing new,” Ten replied sardonically. 

“You don’t sound fine, Ten.” Clearly, Mark’s bullshit-o-meter was fully functioning. “Can I come in?” 

“If you must,” Ten sighed, unlocking the door. “I swear I’m positively peachy.”

“No, you’re not. What’s going on?” 

“Close the door, I don’t want Simba to hear this.” Ten leaned back against the sink and Mark sat down on the toilet after heeding Ten’s request. 

“Spill.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m getting there. So, you know Johnny?” 

“Of course, I know Johnny. What about him?” Mark looked puzzled. 

“He texted me a few days ago and asked if I wanted to get coffee today. I said yes. And normally that wouldn’t be a big deal, but I’ve liked him since...well, since forever. And I can’t tell if it’s a date or what and I’m not really sure what to think or feel. All of which is ridiculous because I’m twenty-two and thus way too old for this shit.” Ten kneaded his temples. 

“Wait, you like Johnny? I thought for sure you liked Lucas…” Poor Mark lived in a perpetual state of befuddlement. 

“Yeah. That’s like at least 87% of my problem here.” 

“Oh,” Mark grimaced. "It's like that." 

“It’s very much like that.” 

“Are you sure this thing with Johnny is a date?” 

“No, not really. Here, look at our conversation.” Ten handed Mark his phone, “Tell me what vibes you get from it.” 

Mark read silently, scratching his head. “I don’t know. It seems fairly casual but, like, there’s definitely potential for something more there.” 

“My thoughts exactly. Which is why the two of us are stuck gossiping in the bathroom like fucking teenagers right now.” Ten turned the faucet on and off compulsively. 

“I think you should just go and have fun. Worst case scenario you decide not to do it again. Johnny seems pretty chill, so I don’t think there’d be any hard feelings,” Mark offered. 

“For once, Mark, you’re right,” Ten responded. “Okay, get out.”

“No ‘thank you’?” 

“That wasn’t a request, it was an order.” Ten touched up his eyebrows, turning his face from side to side to check that they were even. 

“Asshole,” Mark muttered, strolling out and slamming the door behind him. 

***

Ten walked into El Café Feo at 11:06 because he never arrived anywhere on time. Ever. Johnny was already there, seated at a table towards the very front. When he saw Ten his face lit up and he smiled, getting to his feet. 

“Ten! It’s been a while,” he exclaimed, embracing him. Ten hugged him back, noting that Johnny’s cologne smelled exceedingly good. “I’m so glad you could come.” 

“Me too,” Ten smiled back because Johnny was just so _nice._ Like what the fuck. Who sanctioned his angelic ass? “Should we go place an order?” 

“Sure! Lead the way.” The two of them headed to the back of the café where one of the owners, whom Ten was acquainted with, was operating the counter. 

“Hola, Lourdes,” Ten greeted. 

“ **¡** Ay, hola, chico! ¿Cómo estás?”

“Estoy bien. ¿Y usted?” 

“Muy bueno, cariño. Tu amigo: él es guapo.” Lourdes winked and Ten shushed her. She laughed knowingly before asking, “Así, ¿qué quieren ustedes?” 

“Dos americanos, por favor. Y dos porciones de pan sobao con mantequilla,” Ten replied.

“Okay, doce pesos, por favor.” Ten handed her the money, batting Johnny away when he tried to intervene. “Gracias, mi amor. Dame un momento para prepararlos.”

While Lourdes shuffled around pouring their coffees and slicing the bread, Johnny looked at Ten quizzically. “Since when do you speak Spanish?” 

“I took it in first and second year. And now I practice with Duolingo. Which, despite how creepy that fucking little owl can be, is actually a pretty useful app.” 

“I’m super impressed because you were just rattling on and I was like ‘sorry, what?’ The only Spanish I know are the lyrics to ‘Despacito,’” Johnny chuckled which wasn’t very kind of him because it made him at least eight times better-looking. 

“I know. I will never forget your very drunken rendition at that party like two years ago.” Ten collected their coffees and Johnny grabbed the plates of bread before the two returned to their seats.

“Jesus Christ, please don’t remind me of that night. I got so, so sick. The only thing I remember is lying on the ground in the bathroom, hugging the toilet bowl. I think it might have been my lowest point.” Johnny shook his head and Ten cackled at him. 

“It was the universe punishing you for subjecting me, and everyone else, to your caterwauling.” 

“What are you saying? I have a lovely voice,” Johnny protested. 

“Not when you’re several vodkas in, you don’t,” Ten fired back. 

Johnny’s face assumed a very unconvincingly hurt expression. “I just came out to have a good time and I honestly feel so attacked right now.” 

“Are you quoting memes at me?” Ten eyes widened. 

“Maybe.” 

“Drink your damn coffee.” Ten rolled his eyes and took an unnecessarily large bite of bread, staring at Johnny menacingly while he chewed. 

Johnny started laughing again. “You even eat angrily. I can’t.” 

“Then, don’t.” Ten tossed his head theatrically and pretended to find the passersby outside the window terribly interesting. 

“Yoohoo, Ten, I’m not going anywhere.” Ten looked back at him just to make a face. “Tell me, how’s life? How’s Mark – you guys still live together, right?” 

“Life’s good, I guess. Mostly, I exist in a perpetual state of ‘what the fuck’ that I’m graduating in a few months. And, yes, I still live with that little fool. He has a boyfriend now. Which would normally be great but Donghyuck is even more of a shithead than Mark is!” 

“Oh my god, you love them,” Johnny interrupted. 

“What gave you that impression?” Ten huffed. 

“Your face.” Johnny smirked and Ten almost gave him one of those pathetic flirty slaps. _Almost._

“I think you need to work on your physiognomy skills, dear. Anyway, I want to hear more about your acting thing.” 

“Oh, yeah! So, there’s this fairly well-known indie director and he wants to cast rookie actors for his latest movie. Fresh faces, he says. I auditioned for the lead role last week and I’m waiting to hear back.” 

“Wait, that’s so exciting!” Ten clapped. _Why am I reacting like Lucas? Send help._ “You’d better thank me in your Oscar speech.” 

“What exactly am I thanking you for again?” Johnny queried, all cheek. 

“For being fabulous and in your life. This isn’t up for discussion.” Ten finished his coffee and began spinning the mug.

“I’ll slip you in just before they start playing the Jaws music.” 

“What’s the movie about?” Ten asked to put a stop to the slander. 

“A musician who is transported from one city to another around the world. He has no control over when he is moved or where he ends up. He’ll just wake up one morning and he’s somewhere new. So, he eventually decides to take advantage of the fuckery by learning the local music of wherever he’s landed. But the thing is that there’s always this sense of urgency because he never knows if any given day is his last day in that particular place. That’s the basic premise. I won’t tell you more – you’ll just have to watch it,” Johnny concluded. 

“Watching you act six different shades of discombobulated will bring me no end of joy,” Ten replied and Johnny threw a crust of bread at him. 

“Don’t waste my food, gringo!” Lourdes called.

“Lo siento,” Johnny hollered.

“Very good,” Ten commented tonelessly before making eye contact with Johnny. At which point, they both started laughing. Ten was going to need to lie down when he got home. 

They chatted for another half an hour, ordering more bread, and reminiscing about particularly memorable social events they’d both attended. Ten wasn’t sure if he was pleased that things were going so well or if he was concerned because this outcome would make everything that much harder. 

“I should head back home now because I have an assload of homework to do.” Johnny organized their plates and silverware, transporting them to the side table already stacked with used dishware. “Thank you for coming out with me.” 

“Thank you for inviting me, Johnny,” Ten said, and he meant it. Even if Johnny was throwing a wrench into his not so carefully laid plans. 

“Ew, this is so formal, give me a hug to kill the awkward,” Johnny whined, opening his arms. 

“You made it awkward, dumbass.” Ten stepped forward and placed his arms around Johnny’s waist. The taller man squeezed him way too tightly in return. 

They parted ways in front of the café with promises to text one another soon. Ten walked home, so immersed in his thoughts, that another pedestrian had to hold him back from meeting his untimely end under the wheels of a light green minivan. Imagine: killed by a soccer mom. Ten would be in hell begging Satan to send him back so he could die again. Properly. 

***

Ten thought thoughts and felt feelings but generally tried to forget about the love triangle he’d constructed which neither of the other members were even aware they were a part of. The approach of Halloween served as a welcome distraction. Choosing a costume always consumed all of Ten’s mental energy. 

He’d narrowed it down to three possibilities: Alice, Black Widow, and Freddie Mercury. He was leaning towards Black Widow until he found a pair of the _perfect_ high-waisted acid wash jeans to replicate Freddie’s Live Aid outfit while thrifting. Sorry, Alice, come back next year. 

Since Halloween fell on the weekend this year, Ten, Lucas, Mark, Taeyong, Jaehyun, and Donghyuck would spend the first part of the evening at the apartment and the latter half prowling around the city in search of a club that wasn’t at max capacity or, better yet, a party to crash. Ten had spent most of the late morning and early afternoon crafting a variety of spooky snacks and suitably colored mixers with no help whatsoever from Mark, who was off buying his costume last minute, or Lucas, who tried to eat Ten’s ingredients when Ten idiotically requested his presence in the kitchen. 

Sufficiently exhausted to be concerned about his ability to stay up that night, Ten eventually permitted himself a nap. He woke up a few hours later, just in time to don his costume and set out his creations before their guests arrived. He slipped into the jeans and a white tank top, did up the studded belt he’d found buried in his closet, slid on the iconic armband, and slicked back his hair. He’d even gotten his hands on a pair of Adidas Sambas. All he was really missing was the mustache but there were certain lines he wasn’t willing to cross. Fake hair glued to his upper lip being one of them. 

As Ten arranged a collection of carefully decorated mini sugar skulls, Mark joined him. Dressed as Woody.

“Seriously? Do you ever do more than the bare fucking minimum?” Ten enquired with an unfair amount of disgust. 

“Hey! Woody’s cool, okay? And I like the hat,” Mark defended himself, flipping his cowboy hat and barely managing to catch it with his head. 

“Please tell me Donghyuck is not dressing as Buzz Lightyear,” Ten begged. 

“He’s gonna be Michael Jackson. His idol. You two can do a duet.”

Ten felt pleasantly surprised. “Your boyfriend has his moments, Mark. I’m proud.”

“He does,” Mark said fondly. And, as if summoned, Donghyuck took that moment to appear, letting himself in with a key Ten was previously unaware he possessed. But, hey, you learn new things every day. Sometimes it’s that moths are the only living creatures with the ability to digest wool and others it’s that Lee Donghyuck has uninhibited access to your home. 

“Hello, bitches,” he yelled, kissing Mark sloppily and giving Ten a one-armed hug – the other was still hooked around Mark’s neck. 

“Hello, Donghyuck. You knock so quietly; I could barely hear it. What a contrast to your voice,” Ten deadpanned. 

“I forgot to tell you: I gave Hyuck a key,” Mark supplied, uselessly. 

“Look, I got our initials engraved on it.” Donghyuck held up the key so they could see. “Isn’t it cute?” 

“Aww,” Mark cooed, kissing Donghyuck. Repeatedly. 

“You guys are nauseating,” Ten muttered, deciding to test out one of his multi-color concoctions. For strength.

The doorbell rang, announcing Taeyong and Jaehyun’s arrival. The former was dressed as a vampire and the latter as a werewolf. They both looked stunning. Of course. 

“Only you two could pull off the corniest combo in history,” Ten said appreciatively, weighing the chances of Jaehyun agreeing to a threesome. Kidding. Well, not really. The thought _did_ cross his mind. 

“Darling, you should work on your compliments,” Taeyong suggested. “They’re a little back-handed.” 

“I really like your costume, Ten,” Jaehyun said. So, maybe Ten’s fantasies had more validity than previously imagined. 

“Thank you,” Ten smiled flirtatiously just to piss Taeyong off. “Come sit down. Food and drinks are on the table. Mark and Donghyuck are in the kitchen, sucking face – I’ll get them in a minute – and Lucas...Actually, I’m not entirely sure where Lucas is.” 

Ten fetched Mark and Donghyuck, leading them into the living room where they exchanged greetings with Jaehyun and Taeyong, who were already seated on the couch. Taeyong was nestled quite comfortably in Jaehyun’s lap. 

“Mark, have you seen Lucas?” Ten asked. 

“Not for a while. He went into his room a while back and I haven’t heard boo from him since.” 

“Interesting. His costume better be fucking phenomenal if it requires all this prep time.” 

“Hey Ten,” Donghyuck was beckoning him. 

“What do you want, urchin?” Ten adjusted the armband which was threatening to fall down his arm. 

“Can you make me a drink?

“You trust me not to poison you?” Ten ladled some punch into a solo cup. 

“And leave Mark forever alone? You’re not that soulless,” Donghyuck cackled and ran back into the kitchen as Mark began pinching him all over his body. Ten sighed – something he seemed to do a lot around this group – and set the drink on the table. 

Taeyong and Jaehyun were speaking very softly to one another and Ten would have been touched if he wasn’t feeling unbearably single and conflicted instead. He lowered himself to the floor and nursed his drink, scrolling through his phone as he listened to Mark and Donghyuck employ every item in the kitchen to hit one another. 

A door opened and closed, and footsteps echoed down the hall. Mark’s head popped around the corner, hat askew. 

“Is that…?” He began. 

“It’s me!” Lucas roared, striding into the room and striking a pose. Then turning 360 for the full effect. 

For several seconds no one said anything. And then everybody started screeching. 

Mark: “Lucas, that’s the coolest costume ever!” 

Donghyuck: “Holy shit, your ass looks awesome.” 

Jaehyun: “Wait, do you have fake boobs?” 

Taeyong: “Gal Gadot just passed away somewhere.” 

Ten was speechless. He was too busy being glad that he was already on the floor so that he was saved from the ignominy of collapsing on to it now. 

Lucas basked in the responses. “Thank you, thank you. Gal already called; she’s giving me the role. And, no, these are just my pecs.” Lucas made the muscles in question bounce, sending everyone into hysterics. Ten was two minutes from joining Ms. Gadot on the other side.

Once everyone had calmed down and conversation had settled into a steady lull, Lucas acquired food, and came to sit with Ten. He set his plate on the floor, offering Ten a marshmallow dipped in chocolate. 

“What do you think of me as Wonder Woman?” he asked as Ten accepted the candy. 

“I think you look hot.” _Shit, I really just said that._ Ten looked down at his drink. _What the fuck did I put in this punch?_

Luckily, Lucas, who’s default setting was flirtation, seemed unfazed, “I do too.” 

“Of course, you do. No one loves anybody as much as Lucas loves Lucas.” Ten always appreciated some scathing commentary to cover up his embarrassment. 

“No, I mean I think you look hot.” Welp. So much for the healing qualities of a good roast. See y’all in hell!

“Thanks, doll.” Ten managed a wink. Give him a prize. Or another drink. Honestly, both work. 

“I like Queen,” Lucas said, munching on a pretzel. “We should listen to ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. I know all the words.” 

“I would like to survive the night, thank you.” 

“You can’t dress up as Freddie Mercury and not sing that song. It’s a cardinal rule of the universe. We must obey,” Lucas replied with feigned solemnity. 

“Fine. But I need to be a lot more drunk.” 

Ten did get a lot more drunk. Everyone did. By the time they were stumbling into a house party a few blocks down the street, everyone was giddy, and Mark was barely able to stand. Taeyong was still lucid enough to force him to drink some water before he and Jaehyun disappeared. A very on brand move for them. Ten just hoped little hybrid babies didn’t result. 

At some point, Ten ended up doing body shots off Lucas’s exposed clavicle and was fairly certain they would have started making out if Donghyuck hadn’t appeared, screaming bloody murder and ranting about how Mark had been stabbed. Investigation revealed that Mark had been stabbed...with a fake knife. And someone had doused him with cranberry juice. Ten honestly couldn’t tell if Donghyuck was too inebriated to realize that or knew it all along and was just clowning them. 

That everyone made it home in one piece before the sun rose was nothing short of a miracle. Ten, out of alcohol-fueled generosity, offered Jaehyun and Taeyong his room, before crawling into Lucas’s arms and loudly demanding to be carried to bed. Not one of Ten’s finer moments. 

The morning hit him like an eighteen-wheeler going full speed down a very steep hill. And to add insult to injury, Lucas was awake and staring at him. 

“What the fuck do you want?” Ten rasped, head pounding. 

“If I say 'you', will you hit me?” Lucas grinned. 

“Please go away,” Ten said, slapping at him half-heartedly. 

“You’re literally in my bed. You go away.” Lucas shoved him and Ten immediately sought purchase on Lucas’s torso to stop himself from tumbling off the bed. 

“Why are you being all cuddly now? I thought you wanted me to go away,” Lucas laughed as he tried to pry Ten’s hands off his body. 

“Changed my mind,” Ten mumbled into the pillow. 

“What?” Lucas poked him. 

“I said, ‘I changed my mind’. Jesus Christ!” 

“Good because now you’re going to be the little spoon.” Lucas turned Ten onto his side and locked him in his arms. Ten was too hungover to do anything other than resign himself to his fate. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I KNOW WE ALREADY KNOW THIS BUT VIEW BY SHINEE WILL NEVER NOT SLAP!!!!!!!
> 
> translation for the bit in español!!
> 
> "Hello, Lourdes," Ten greeted.  
> "Oh, hello, boy (it's like an affectionate term for a male identifying people -- often used by older folx for younger ones)! How are you?"  
> "I am well. And you (formal)?"  
> "Very good, dear. Your friend: he is handsome." Lourdes winked and Ten shushed her. She laughed knowingly before asking, "So, what do you want (to order)?"  
> "Two Americanos, please. And two pieces of bread ('sobao' means 'kneaded' -- this bread is very popular in Puerto Rico) with butter," Ten replied.  
> "Okay, twelve dollars, please." Ten handed her the money, batting Johnny away when he tried to intervene. "Thank you, my love. Give me a minute to prepare them (the coffees & bread)." 
> 
> oh, and "gringo" is word that literally means "non-spanish speaker," but in reality it has more nuance. like there's this sense that the person is also ignorant of more things than the language LMFAO. like it can be affectionate but also a little derisive. yikes trying to explain the meaning of a spanish word that doesn't have a counterpart in english is SO HARRDDD.


	13. Together At Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> COOKIES!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> homies, why is jessi so funny? i love her. her interview with minho sent me to the grave.

“So, that’s a no,” Ten said, shaking his head. “And if it’s a no on you I’m not even going to bother trying it on. Because if you can’t make something work, no one can.” 

Taeyong giggled before turning back into the dressing room. “It’s pretty hideous, isn’t it?” 

“I would like to have words with the designer. It’s _that_ bad,” Ten replied. 

“It’s also expensive? Like who the fuck is going to pay $75 for what really amounts to nothing more than a burlap sack?” Taeyong scoffed. “I’m disgusted.” 

“Please, just take it off. I can’t look at it anymore,” Ten complained, shielding his eyes. 

“Let’s go somewhere else,” Taeyong said as he reemerged, clothed in his normal attire. “That disaster has turned me off of this whole store.” 

“I told you not to try it on, but do you listen to me?”

“Listen, you never see a piece’s full potential until you see it on a body, okay?” 

“Well, I hope it was worth it.” 

Ten and Taeyong walked slowly through the mall, pausing to admire things as they passed them in the store fronts. They were window-shopping because neither of them had enough money to buy clothes _and_ the Christmas gifts that would be required shortly. Besides, trying things on was the most fun for part anyway. Oh, and the opportunity to exchange tea. 

“It’s been four months since you started dating Jaehyun, how are we feeling?” 

Taeyong flushed. “It’s only been three and a half. But, um, it’s wonderful. I really like him. I know we’re still in the honeymoon period, but everything’s been going so well. He’s sweet and caring but also funny and clever. Oh my god, I sound so whipped.” Taeyong stopped, covering his face. 

“You sound so adorable. You guys are easily one of the cutest couples I’ve ever seen. A welcome antidote to those two escaped hell hounds I have the extreme displeasure of cohabitating with,” Ten said in the most exasperated tone he could muster. 

“Donghyuck comes over a lot?” 

“Yes. I’m beginning to wonder where the fuck he lived before he started dating Mark. Does this man have a house?” Ten loved bitching about Donghyuck – almost as much as he loved Donghyuck himself. 

“I spend a lot of time at Jaehyun’s since he doesn’t have a roommate and he’s been hinting at me moving some of my stuff there. But I’m not sure. Like, isn’t it a bit early?” 

“Definitely. But I think it’d be safe to have a toothbrush, a change of clothes, maybe some shoes. Some of your stuffed animals. I just know he’d die if you left that pink rabbit in his bed,” Ten teased. Taeyong tried to trip him in response. 

“Leave my plushies out of this!” Taeyong admonished. “I just hope I’m not reading him wrong.” 

Ten patted him reassuringly, “I don’t think you are. But, just in case, bring one thing at a time. I don’t think an extra T-shirt in his bureau is going to send him over the edge, you know?” 

“Mm, you’re right. He’s not you.” Taeyong took off down the corridor, Ten hot on his heels.

“Fuck you! I give you my golden advice and you slander me like this?” Ten caught up with Taeyong and wrestled him to the floor. 

“Oh my god, Ten, we need to get up. We’ll cause a scene!” 

“Who are you? Elizabeth Bennett?” Ten mocked, “‘We’ll cause a scene.’ You’re hilarious.” But he stood up and helped Taeyong to his feet as well. 

“As compensation for that bullshit you just pulled, I want to hear about things with Johnny.” Taeyong led them to a set of couches, sitting down and indicating that Ten should join him. 

“What do you want to know?” Ten was very ready to hold his cards close to his chest on this issue. 

Taeyong rolled his eyes, unimpressed. “Oh, come on, I know you guys went out again. How was it?” 

“It was fun. I enjoyed it. I think Johnny did too. We just got pizza and chatted. Neither of us really has time for anything more complicated than that. I like talking to him and I feel like we have a good dynamic.”

“You mean y’all have chemistry,” Taeyong’s expression was very knowing. 

“Sure.” 

“Why don’t you sound more excited by this, baby?” Concern slipped into Taeyong’s voice and he squeezed Ten’s arm. “What are you not telling me?” 

“I don’t know. I feel like I’m being stupid. Because Johnny’s really great and I do like him but every time we talk or spend time together, I just keep thinking of how he is or isn’t like Lucas. And then I either leave my room or come back to the apartment and Lucas is there and I’m reminded of everything I like about him. But also, how he feels is a big fucking question mark because of Mister Mystery Ex.” Ten groaned. “So, I should just forget about Lucas and try with Johnny but it’s proving way more difficult in practice than it seemed in theory.” 

Taeyong nodded understandingly. “If you like Lucas as much as I think you do, then just telling yourself to get over him isn’t going to work. And neither is replacing him with Johnny. That’s unfair to you _and_ to Johnny.” 

“I’m not replacing him with Johnny!” Ten protested. “I do actually like Johnny. I just...might like Lucas a little more. But I know Lucas better and I spend more time with him. Maybe I just need to spend more with Johnny.” 

“Maybe.” Taeyong seemed unconvinced. “You could try that. But don’t force yourself, Ten. That’s not how this is supposed to work. Okay?” 

“Okay. I love you, Tae,” Ten murmured, hugging his friend.

“I love you too, Tennie,” Taeyong rubbed his back consolingly before the two of them rose and left the mall. The day was chilly despite the clear skies and they cinched up their jackets before walking back to Ten’s place. 

When they got home, Lucas was there alone. Singing to Ten’s orchid. Which, by the grace of god, was alive and well. Maybe the Russian folk songs helped. Don’t ask where Lucas learned Russian folk songs – no one really knew. Least of all Lucas himself. 

“Taeyong, my man!” Lucas interrupted his serenade to sweep Taeyong off his feet and spin him around. 

“Hi Lucas,” Taeyong puffed out between bouts of laughter. “How are you?” 

“I’m fantastic. Did you know it’s going to be Christmas soon?” Lucas finally let Taeyong stand by himself again. 

“Yes. I mean if you can call four weeks from now soon.” 

“Yeah! It’s less than a month. Can you believe it?” 

“Lucas, calm down and stop asking Taeyong the same question repeatedly,” Ten called from the kitchen where he was making himself and Taeyong cups of peppermint tea. 

“It’s okay,” Taeyong said good-naturedly. 

“Tae, don’t fucking encourage him.” Ten brought two steaming mugs into the room, setting them down on the table. Lucas looked at them enviously. 

“Where’s mine?” He asked. 

“Make your own, bitch,” Ten replied acidly. 

“Take mine, I’ll pour another one,” Taeyong interjected, pushing his cup towards Lucas.

“Excuse me, Taeyong? Is there a reason you keep stabbing me in the back?” Ten was horrified. 

“Be nice to Lucas. He means well.” Lucas nodded emphatically at Taeyong’s words.

“He could use some serious work on his execution,” Ten grumbled. 

Taeyong hung around for a bit, entertaining Lucas while Ten did dishes and tidied up around the apartment. In a magnificent display of self-preservation, Taeyong made his exit in the hubbub that resulted from Thing 1 and Thing 2’s return. As Mark and Donghyuck screeched at one another over bags of groceries and somehow managed to take more things out of the fridge than they put in, Taeyong bid Lucas and then Ten goodbye. 

“Remember, I’m always here for you, okay? Call me if you want to talk,” Taeyong whispered, his body already halfway out the front door.

“Thanks, b. See you soon!” Ten blew him a kiss and Taeyong slipped out entirely, leaving Ten to deal with the war being waged in his kitchen. 

***

Ten thought traditions that hinged on the validation of social constructs and perpetuation of harms sucked ass, but he was all for things like baking the exact same cookies every year right before Christmas. He’d already purchased all the necessary ingredients and was laying them out on the counter when Lucas hurtled into the kitchen. 

“Whatya doing?” Lucas hugged Ten from the back and rested his head on the shorter man’s shoulder.

“I’m making gingerbread cookies,” Ten replied, rereading the recipe even though he knew it by heart. 

Lucas gasped, “You’re making cookies and you didn’t think to invite me?”

“Gee, Lucas, I wonder why,” Ten drawled. 

“Well, I’m helping now,” Lucas pronounced, attempting to tie a dishrag around his waist as a makeshift apron. 

“Yeah, I don’t think so.” Ten laid a hand on Lucas’s chest and pushed him out into the living room. 

“Tennnnn,” Lucas whined. “Please?” 

“I know that if I say yes, I will spend the rest of my life regretting the decision.” Ten could feel impatience simmering along with the irking sense that he was about to give in. 

“No, you won’t. I promise to be the goodest I’ve ever been. You can do all the complicated parts so that I don’t mess things up.” 

“Oh, so you just want to watch me do all the work? Classic.”

“I want to use the cookie cutters.” A man of Lucas’s stature and age should not be capable of this level of smol. 

“Fuck, I can’t argue with that,” Ten relented, as prophesied. 

“So, where do we start?” Lucas’s whole face was shining. 

“What happened to ‘I’m just gonna sit here and look pretty’?” Ten began measuring out the flour. 

“Oh, right, sorry,” Lucas hefted himself up onto the countertop, coming very, very close to knocking over the open bag of flour Ten had just set down. 

“Lucas,” Ten warned. 

Lucas fucking giggled. “Oops.”

“Now I feel like I need to give you a task just to keep you occupied.” Ten handed him a large mixing bowl, “Hold this. I’m going to pour some stuff into it and then you’re going to mix it together. Can you manage that?”

“I think so,” Lucas responded, grasping the bowl like his very life depended on it. Which, given Ten’s involvement, it might as well have.

“Your confidence is wonderfully reassuring. Have you ever baked before?” Ten dreaded the answer but asked anyway. 

“Once. With my mom.” Lucas hesitated to go on. 

“Once? What happened?” 

“It was a tiny bit disastrous and she banned me from ever even coming _into_ the kitchen ever again. She actually stuck to it for several months! I had to wait at the table for all my meals and sneak in in the middle of the night for snacks. Darkest time of my life,” Lucas grimaced at the recollection. “I was only allowed to return after I wrote a five-page paper about why keeping me from my favorite machine on Earth – the fridge – was cruel and unusual punishment.” 

“Riveting story. Not at all what I needed to hear right now given that you’re currently holding the lifeblood of my cookies.”

“I’ll take care of it!” Lucas was now cradling the bowl as if it were a baby. 

Ten used the hand mixer to combine the sugar, butter, and eggs, which he’d cracked himself. Imagine letting Lucas crack an egg. He’d probably just throw it directly into the bowl and then ask how you were meant to get all the pieces of shell out. 

“Is that molasses?” Lucas eyed the substance curiously as Ten poured it into a tablespoon. 

“Yes, it’s what gives the cookies their color.”

“It really does move slowly, huh?” Lucas’s finger began advancing towards the stream of brown syrup and didn’t stop until Ten made it very clear he would bite it.

Ten reclaimed the dry ingredients from Lucas and added them into his own mixture, completing the dough. Under Lucas’s steady gaze, he removed the dough from the bowl and wrapped it in cling film, setting it on the counter and starting a timer on his phone.

“What? Why are you stopping? Why’d you suffocate the dough?” Lucas was flabbergasted. 

“It has to chill, we’ll continue in two hours,” Ten informed him.

“It just, like, vibes there?” Lucas poked the dough, much to Ten’s chagrin. 

“Yes. It’s part of the process.”

“Cool,” Lucas's fears appeared to have been assuaged. “What’re we gonna do to pass the time then?”

“I know what _I’m_ going to do,” Ten said. “I’m sure _you_ can find some way to keep yourself busy.” 

“What are you going to do?” Lucas hopped off the counter so he could stand in front of Ten and peer down at him.

“I’m going to lie on the couch.”

“I want to lie on the couch with you!” Lucas replied far too enthusiastically. 

“No, you don’t.” Ten’s hands settled on his hips.

“Yes, I do,” Lucas countered. 

“Well, you can’t.” Ten was starting to sound positively huffy. 

“Oh my god, shut up!” Mark shouted, having wandered into the kitchen an indeterminate number of minutes beforehand. Ten hadn’t noticed him – he’d been too busy squaring off with Lucas.

“Tell Ten to let me snuggle him on the couch,” Lucas beseeched a disgruntled Mark. 

“Tell Lucas to fuck off,” Ten requested with equal ardor. 

“Both of you, take your marital disharmony elsewhere. Like out of our house elsewhere. I was in my room, with my headphones on, music at full volume, and I could _still_ hear you guys bickering!” Mark angrily popped open a can of root beer as he spoke. 

“I would say sorry but now you know what it’s like when we have to listen to you and Donghyuck fucking,” Ten replied testily.

Mark not only turned beet red, he also literally spat out his drink. “Oh. My. God. I hope your stupid cookies burn,” he growled before all but running out of the room. 

“Ten, apologize,” Lucas admonished. “You hurt Markie’s feelings.” 

Ten snorted. “I only spoke the truth.” 

“Yeah, but did you have to say it like that?” Lucas cocked an eyebrow. 

“This is your fault. If you’d just accepted that I didn’t want your touchy-feely ass all over me on the sofa, none of this would have happened.”

“You can’t blame me for you being bitchy!” Lucas retorted. 

“Are you guys seriously still fucking arguing?” Mark yelled from his room. 

Lucas and Ten quieted for a moment, jointly chastened, before Ten spoke up again. 

“You know what? Take me to the couch. And when we get there, I’m going to sit on your chest and pummel you.” Ten had barely finished speaking when Lucas lifted him up and speed-walked into the other room, lowering them both onto the sofa. 

“Pummel away.” 

“Masochist,” Ten said, landing the first punch. 

“I might be a masochist but, Jesus, don’t hit me so hard.” Lucas frowned, arms folding protectively across his pectoral muscles. 

“That was for saying that I was being a bitch.”

“I said that you were being bitchy. Not that you were a bitch. There’s a difference.” 

Ten gave him one of his looks. “Do you want me to hit you again?”

***

Ten’s timer went off as he was scrolling through mood boards on Pinterest. Lucas, still lying beside him, immediately put down his phone and shook Ten. 

“Does that mean we can finish the cookies now?” 

“Yes. Come on.”

In the kitchen, Ten unwrapped the dough and rolled it out. Lucas had already hunted down the cookie cutters and was fiddling with them impatiently. Ten spent extra time flattening the dough just to torment him. 

“Ten, can I please cut a cookie?” Lucas sounded really _good_ when he was begging. A fact Ten definitely didn’t store for later use. 

“You may. What are you making first?” 

“A snowman! Do I get to decorate him?” Lucas delightedly cut into the dough and lifted out his first cookie with extreme care. 

“I bought a kit, let me get it for you.” Ten retrieved the décor set, which included premade icing, and arranged it on the countertop. “Now it’s my turn.”

“Here, do this tree,” Lucas offered as he began to pipe eyes onto his rapidly materializing masterpiece. 

Ten and Lucas worked their way through the dough and decorated every single cookie with varying degrees of success. Despite Ten’s artistic talent, his frequent laughing attacks brought on by the miniature disasters Lucas was creating prevented his own cookies from looking their best. When they finally finished, Ten’s cheeks and sides were aching, and he felt like he needed to sleep for a year. He even struggled to get the fucking cookie sheets into the oven. 

“Look, I didn’t do anything super horrific! Does this mean you’ll let me bake with you again?” Lucas’s energy supply really was endless. ENDLESS. Motherfucker must have solved cold fusion. Call NASA. 

“I’m pleasantly surprised but I make no promises,” Ten knew he was being a hardass which was half the reason he was doing it. 

“I’ll take it.” Lucas knelt down in front of the oven, looking in on the cookies. “When will they be done?”

“There’s a timer right in front of your face, dumbass,” Ten pointed. “Sometimes I wonder about you.”

“Oh yeah? What do you wonder?” Lucas persisted in his cookie-watching. 

“About whether or not you’ll make it to the age of thirty.” 

“He won’t,” Donghyuck said. Ten had just about had it with people appearing out fucking nowhere. 

“When the fuck did you get here?”

“A while back,” Donghyuck was munching on a fruit roll up. “Are Mark and I really that loud?” 

“Yes.” Ten and Lucas replied simultaneously. 

“Good.” 

Mic drop. _Bitch._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so you know how Xiaojun tried to make the oreo microwave cake in his relay cam??? well i tried it with the limited edition lady gaga oreos and oatmilk and it was about as tragic as his but it tasted pretty good!!!!
> 
> TAEYONG ON IG, how we feeling???????


	14. Unbreakable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas vibes in February, not even sorry!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lipstick is such a good song, i wanna listen to that shit on repeat.

The following morning, Ten awoke to the unceremonious flopping of an extremely large someone onto his bed.

“Wake up, Sleeping Beauty!” Lucas bellowed. “It’s Baby Christmas!” 

“First of all, how dare you invade my holy of holies. Secondly, what in the fuckery is ‘Baby Christmas’?” Ten was beginning to seriously consider a lock on his door. Why the apartment came without them pre-installed was beyond him. 

Lucas made no move whatsoever to vacate the area, instead climbing under the covers and attacking Ten with his criminally cold feet. “It’s what I’m calling today since it’s not actually Christmas but we’re having everyone over for presents. And cookies!”

“You succeeded in not eating them all?” Ten rolled himself into a ball to evade Lucas’s flailing extremities. 

“I only ate six. All the ugly ones,” Lucas was trying to pry Ten’s body apart by tickling his ribs.

“How magnanimous of you,” Ten replied between a series of escaped giggles. “Stop, stop, I’ll get up if you stop.” 

“Okay, but I’m going to stay here and make sure.” Lucas withdrew his hands and sat up in the bed, crossing his arms expectantly. 

“Can’t I have a little privacy?” Ten slunk out from under the covers and pulled on a robe. 

“No,” Lucas’s tone left no room for negotiation. He was in rare fucking form this morning. “I don’t trust you not to just go right back to sleep.” 

“Then I’m going to the bathroom,” Ten said truculently. 

“Go right ahead. I’ll be waiting,” Lucas smiled incorrigibly at him and Ten swept out of the room, snapping the sleeves of his robe melodramatically. 

Lucas was indeed right where he said he’d be when Ten returned. Ten chose to ignore him. 

“What did you get me?” Lucas piped up, evidently not satisfied by Ten’s lack of attention. 

“The way you ask me that as if you honestly expect me to answer,” Ten shook his head in disbelief. 

“It was worth a try. I got you—” 

“No! You will _not_ ruin my Christmas surprise, you menace,” Ten screeched. He chucked several rounds of socks at Lucas to distract him from continuing. 

“Are these see-through?” Lucas queried, holding up a pair of delicately embroidered socks. 

“Yes, they are. Got a problem?” Ten sniffed. 

“No, no problem,” Lucas said. “They’re pretty. Can you put them on?” 

“Oh my god, you don’t have a foot fetish, do you?” 

Lucas smirked. “What if I do?” 

Ten shrugged. “You do you, I guess. Here, give them to me.” He extended a hand, palm skyward. 

“You’re gonna indulge me?” 

“It’s Christmas,” Ten’s lip curled playfully. 

“Not yet it isn’t.” 

“Lucas, do you want me to wear the socks or not?” Ten demanded. 

“God, yes.” Could the man do Ten a favor and sound at least a little bit less desperate?

“Kinky fuck.” Ten slipped on the much-discussed socks, which had dark blue toes and heels where the material wasn’t translucent and were speckled with miniature flowers. 

“That’s me!” Lucas finally picked himself up out of Ten’s bed and skipped into the hallway, humming ‘Last Christmas.’ Off key. Not because he couldn’t sing but because he thought it was funny to sound tragically disharmonious. 

“Remember you have to change into a tasteful combination of red and green for the party,” Ten called after him. 

“Does a red and green G-string count as tasteful?” Lucas was loudly assembling a bowl of cereal. 

“As long as you put something on top of it. Several somethings.” Ten traipsed into the kitchen, moving around Lucas so he could turn on the kettle. 

“Your hands?” Lucas asked around a spoonful of cornflakes. 

Ten smacked his ass as hard as he could, which caused Lucas to squeal and dance away from him, making a valiant effort not to drop his breakfast in the process.

Ten smiled prettily. “How’s that for my hands?” 

“Not what I’d imagined, but if you want, you can do it again.” 

Ten didn’t think you could drink tea sassily but, somehow, that was what he was currently doing. “You wish. Anyway, I’m serious about the clothing. I want to take lots of pictures and I want everyone to look cute. So, humor me.” 

Lucas nodded, fixing another bowl of flakes. “I don’t actually have a red and green G-string.” 

“More’s the pity.” 

***

Jaehyun and Taeyong arrived in matching ugly sweaters. Ten may or may not have overreacted and shrieked about how endearing they were until Lucas, at Mark’s behest, picked him up, carried him into his bedroom, and flicked him (not hard enough to hurt, but certainly enough to be irritating) until he cut it out. 

Donghyuck showed up last, toting two handles of Tito’s and sporting a full Santa costume.

“Merry Christmas, motherfuckers!” he greeted, loudly enough for the entire apartment building, potentially the whole _block_ , to hear him. 

Mark relieved him of his load and clapped a hand over his unruly mouth, “Please, for the love god, stop screaming. You’re an embarrassment to this family.”

“How can _I_ be the embarrassment if you’re also a part of it, Markie-boo?” Donghyuck tossed the tail of his Santa hat over his shoulder and sauntered into the living room, giving both Jaehyun and Taeyong a very amorous kiss. 

“Daddies! How are you?” he cooed and Mark stood in the corner, making very convincing crying sounds. 

Jaehyun laughed and Taeyong rolled his eyes. “We’re great! Better now that you’re here,” Taeyong replied for the both of them.

“Oh my god, you’re even using the royal we now. I need to leave,” Ten whined, having been allowed to reenter the room after repeatedly promising to never, ever shriek like a dying opossum (Lucas’s latest obsession) again. 

Taeyong blushed and Mark swiped at Ten, “You are just single and pissy about it. Keep your celibacy energy to yourself.” 

“Ten wouldn’t be celibate if he and Lucas would stop being fucking prudes,” Donghyuck stage-whispered. 

“Okay, for fuck’s sake,” Jaehyun interrupted. “Everyone, behave. Just for today.”

Big Daddy Jae had spoken. The children obeyed. 

“I’m making drinks,” Donghyuck, never able to keep his mouth shut for very long, announced. “What’s everyone having?” 

The introduction of alcohol ushered in a more festive atmosphere, drowning out the latent bitchiness. Mark put on a playlist of Korean Christmas songs and Ten handed everyone cookies to accompany their drinks. Lucas engaged Jaehyun and Taeyong in conversation, badgering them about what he kept referring to as their “married life.” 

As everyone settled in, Ten began to feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Which could just be the spiked eggnog, but the joy of having everyone together – dressed in shades of red and green, as requested – was certainly contributing as well. Suddenly, seeing Jaehyun and Taeyong cuddled closely together and Mark and Donghyuck feeding each other gingerbread cookies, he very much wanted someone to coddle him too. 

“Lucas?”

The man in question looked up from where he was demolishing a carton of truffles. “Yeah?”

“Can you bring Mark’s bean bag chair in here?” Ten asked timidly.

“Sure!” Lucas relinquished the chocolates and darted into Mark’s room, dragging the bean bag behind him as he reemerged. “Where do you want it?”

Ten forged ahead, tipsiness outweighing common sense, “I want you to put it right here and then I want you to sit in it. After which I will sit on top of you. Understood?” 

“Perfectly.” Lucas followed Ten’s orders to the T and opened his arms wide, ready to receive him. “Sit down, babykins.” 

Ten shuddered. “Never call me that again.” 

Lucas guffawed and Ten settled himself into his lap comfortably, very much satisfied with how things had turned out. “I’m ready to open presents,” he declared. “Who wants to go first?” 

“I can,” Jaehyun responded, rising from the sofa to retrieve the bag of presents he’d deposited under the tree a few hours before. “I hope you don’t mind – it’s not much. I may or may not have focused most of my energy on the things for Taeyong,” he admitted, sounding more pleased with himself than genuinely apologetic. 

“Adorbs!” Donghyuck yelled and Taeyong hid his face in the cushions. 

As promised, the socks Jaehyun had purchased everyone were simple but fun, and obviously chosen carefully for each of them. Ten thought the ones for Lucas, adorned with dinosaurs, were especially apropos. Though one had to wonder when and how a discussion of Lucas’s underwear collection had come up in Taeyong and Jaehyun’s day-to-day communication…

Taeyong deadass teared up when he tore the paper open on his present and uncovered the most exquisite little dog-coat. 

“Are y’all having a baby?!” Mark and Donghyuck’s singular brain cell was back at it. 

“It’s clearly for a dog, idiots,” Ten cut in.

“Yes, it’s for a dog,” Jaehyun seconded, more gently. “Taeyong and I are hoping to adopt a puppy soon. Taeyong, love, are you going to open the other gift?” 

“Give me a moment,” Taeyong replied, sniffling. When he eventually managed to make it to the second box, he was all ready to start up the waterworks again, “Oh, Jae, you shouldn’t have!”

“I wanted to get you something that would help with your music.” Jaehyun kissed Taeyong very tenderly on the cheek. Even Ten was moved. 

“I’ll go next,” Taeyong said, headphones slung around his neck and the coat clutched in one hand. With the other, he distributed the tiny pouches he’d prepared. 

Ten pulled open his pouch carefully, knowing whatever lay inside would be heartfelt. Sure enough, he discovered a beautifully woven bracelet, black with silver and light blue accents. 

“These are so nice,” Lucas gushed. “Taeyong, you made them yourself, right?” 

“Yes, I’m glad you like it.” Taeyong smiled softly at Lucas as he placed a box on Jaehyun’s knees. Jaehyun lifted the lid and his eyes grew comically wide.

“Oh. My. God. Now _I’m_ going to cry,” he breathed. 

Donghyuck and Mark crowded around him nosily. “Holy shit, these shoes are fucking fire!” Lucas had joined the fray. 

“God, you monsters, give the man some room to enjoy his gift,” Ten reprimanded from where he’d been rudely dumped on the floor by Lucas. When the Three Stooges had retreated and Ten had been restored to his Lucas-shaped throne, Jaehyun enveloped Taeyong in his arms and thanked him over and over again. 

“These are my favorite shoes,” he marveled. 

Taeyong nodded. “I know. Now can we move onto someone else before I literally die from embarrassment?” 

Mark leapt up. “Yessir! Hyuck, here, take your gift. It took me several weeks and several years off my life to find.” Mark had barely finished transferring the package to Donghyuck before the other man started ripping into it. 

“Mark!!!!!!! I LOVE YOU!” Ten sincerely hoped this wasn’t the first time he was saying it because that was bound to be a traumatic fucking memory. 

“I love you too, freak,” Mark tossed back. Okay, so maybe it wasn’t the first time. Bullet dodged. “All the rest of you get candy. So much candy. I tried to remember everyone’s favorites.”

“I respect a man who gives out food,” Lucas remarked appreciatively, already sucking on a lychee-flavored sugar bomb. 

Donghyuck was parading his Michael Jackson records around the room, showing them to each person individually. “I have the best boyfriend. He snores really loudly but he’s still the best.”

“Shut up or I’ll take them back,” Mark threatened. Donghyuck spun away from him but returned momentarily with a neatly wrapped parcel. 

“For you,” he said to Mark, a disconcerting glint in his eye. Ten exchanged a look with Lucas. _So, it’s not just me who feels like this is about to get,,,spicy._

Spicy didn’t even begin to do the lacy red corset justice. Mark’s face changed colors three separate times before all the blood drained from it entirely. Donghyuck was on the ground, convulsing with laughter, Jaehyun and Taeyong were trying to quell one another’s mirth, and Lucas was whistling obnoxiously. Ten was making a mental note to congratulate Donghyuck very thoroughly. In private. Mark should at least be spared that. 

“So,” Donghyuck drawled sensually, “what do you think?” 

“I think you’d better have a real gift for me, and you’d better produce it very fucking soon or you can walk out that door and do me the immense favor of never walking through it again!” The whole sentence rushed out of Mark’s mouth in one breath which set Lucas, who had thus far _not_ laughed, off into a fit of poorly restrained giggles. 

“I can’t believe you just called this beautiful, wonderful, gorgeous corset not-a-real-gift. I was so excited to see you in it,” Donghyuck wailed, taking the offending item and hitting Mark over the head with it. 

“For the good of everyone present, Donghyuck, please cease your attack on Mark and give the rest of us our gifts,” Ten was beginning to feel a small measure of pity for his roommate. 

“With pleasure,” Donghyuck cried before proceeding to kiss everyone _directly on the lips_ and adding, “Merry Christmas, consider yourselves blessed,” when he’d finished. 

They were all stunned. “For once in my life,” Lucas broke the silence. “I don’t know what to say.” 

“‘Thank you’ would be a good start,” Donghyuck’s self-satisfaction could have applied for a mortgage. “You bunch look thoroughly petrified so I’m going to be nice to you now.” 

From a bag, well-hidden behind the Christmas tree, he produced an envelope with Mark’s name on it and a series of pint-sized liquor bottles. 

“I concocted these mixtures by thinking very hard about each of you and grabbing the booze I associated most heavily with your image and vibe. Have fun!!!” Donghyuck cackled, only sobering when he checked Mark’s reaction to the contents of the envelope. 

“Hyuck, come here right now,” Mark said hoarsely. Miraculously, Donghyuck obliged him without a thought. Mark seized his shoulders and kissed him far too passionately for the fairly sizable audience. 

“I didn’t buy tickets for this show,” Ten complained after almost a whole _minute_ had elapsed. “Break it up.” 

Mark pulled back first. “Tickets are what Hyuck got me. Tickets to see the fucking Warriors. I think I’m in heaven.” He gestured as though he was going to begin making out with Donghyuck again but Ten pegged him with one of Lucas’s candy wrappers, successfully inhibiting the action. 

“They are in the nosebleeds,” Donghyuck confessed. 

“I don’t care. I am gonna see Steph Curry!” Mark sang, pirouetting into the kitchen to get what Ten wasn’t exactly sure because all the drinks were in here… 

“Okay, Mr. and Mr. We-Are-Definitely-Not-Dating, you’re up,” Donghyuck commanded. Ten flipped him off and gave Jaehyun and Taeyong their gifts first because they were by far the nicest and most agreeable individuals present. 

“Everything is uber-personalized and riddled with symbolism. You know the drill,” Ten pronounced breezily as if he hadn’t agonized endlessly over the whole endeavor.

“Uh, hello? Do we get ours?” Mark had returned with a piece of untoasted bread. Which, what the fuck? 

“Patience, brat,” Ten reluctantly dropped Lucas’s, Donghyuck’s, and, finally, Mark’s presents into their respective outstretched hands. 

“Oh, this smells divine,” Taeyong had his nose buried in his candle, inhaling it entirely too violently. RIP his nasal passages. 

“I’m still not over how detailed these illustrations are,” Jaehyun murmured beside him, meticulously inspecting the card Ten had given him. 

“Pure sex,” Donghyuck didn’t know how to appreciate things without being annoying about it. His candle was fucking “sun-scented” – Ten wasn’t clear on what that meant but he’d taken a whiff of it at the store and instantly thought _Donghyuck._ It smelled good, of course, but ‘pure sex’ was kinda pushing it.

“Can I frame my card?” Mark asked. “I don’t want even one little speck of dust to touch it.” Ten nodded and smiled, very pleased that everyone was cherishing his gifts so much. Well, almost everyone.

“Why is my candle so _small_?” Lucas was staring, consternation painted across his face, at the tiny dark green candle balanced on his significantly larger palm. 

“Ten said it all had a deeper meaning. What do you think he’s trying to tell you?” Donghyuck taunted. 

“I’m not sure I want to know,” Lucas said forlornly, the candle now pinched between his thumb and forefinger. 

“I knew, I just fucking _knew_ the size would be an issue,” Ten groaned. “Have you even smelled it yet?”

“No,” Lucas sniffed very tentatively. “Oh. _Oh._ ”

“Get it now, Einstein?” 

“I don’t get it!” Donghyuck snatched the candle from Lucas. “Ew, why the fuck does this smell like seaweed?” 

“Mind your own business,” Lucas repatriated his candle, inordinately self-satisfied now that he understood. “Thank you, Ten. Where would you like your kiss?”

Ten didn’t even flinch. “My ass.” 

“Y’all’s nasty,” Mark commented, shaking his head. 

“Lucas, we saved the best for last – will you do the honors?” Taeyong, and Jaehyun, had been watching everything unfold wordlessly, either absorbed in their own world or content to merely watch the circus act in progress around them. 

“My moment!” This time, Lucas was slightly more considerate when he repositioned Ten so he could free his own body from underneath him. Ten curled up in the dent he’d left behind, truly curious about what Lucas believed constituted A Present. 

A collective gasp of surprise flooded the room as each man opened his gift. Knitted beanies: red for Mark, green for Jaehyun, pink for Taeyong, blue for Donghyuck, and yellow for Ten. Knitted beanies that had clearly been made _by hand._

“So, when were you gonna tell us you know how to fucking knit?” Ten didn’t even try to keep the unadulterated shock out of his voice. 

“Aren’t I telling you now?” Lucas’s delight shone out of every part of his body. 

“I have never been so astonished,” Donghyuck said, donning his hat. “You’re a legend, Luc.” 

“When did you even make these, man?” Mark turned his beanie over in his hands several times, seemingly having trouble believing it was real. 

“During...times,” Lucas replied cryptically. 

“They’re seriously excellent,” Jaehyun said as he helped Taeyong position his hat, the pink looking exceptionally good against his silvery hair. 

“Thank you so much.” Taeyong stood up to hug Lucas tightly. 

When Lucas lifted Ten in order to rejoin him on the bean bag chair, he enquired quietly, “Do you like your hat?”

“As much as I want to take this opportunity to roast your ass for being a closeted grandma, I’ll pass. I really like it, Lucas. It’s beautiful.” Ten’s smile was very small but very sincere. 

Lucas grinned back at him. “Can I put it on for you?”

“Please.” 

The rest of the night involved a copious amount of alcohol, board games that one only had the patience for on a holiday, and pizzas ordered at some ungodly hour. As was becoming par for the course, all the guests stayed over. Ten might as well rechristen his room “JaeYong’s Home Away from Home.” Lucas was over the moon.

“I wish everyday was a holiday,” he said as Ten struggled to maintain wakefulness beside him.

“Why?” Ten mumbled.

“Because then I get to have my favorite hot water bottle.”

“Huh?” The comprehension function in Ten’s brain had long since turned off.

“You, stupid. You sleep in my bed.” 

“Oh, yeah. Do you like it?” Ten rolled over, crashing into Lucas accidentally as he did so. 

Lucas slipped one arm around his waist in response, “Yes, I do.”

“Me too,” Ten whispered before drifting off to sleep. If Lucas said anything more, it was lost on him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> knitting is like one of my favorite pastimes and i just think it would be Adorable if Lucas could knit and he made things for his friends! wahhhh


	15. Make A Wish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Birthday partayyyyyyy!!!!!!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'ALL IT'S HERE!!!! MY FAVORITE CHAPTER. you'll see why shortly 😏😏😏

“I just don’t see how we’re going to fit twenty-two people in here,” Ten said as he pinned a string of gold tinsel to the top corner of one wall before dismounting the footstool he was on and moving it to the other end of the room.

“It’ll be fine. We have plenty of space,” Mark reassured him from where he was assembling party favors, which consisted of candy, a kazoo, a facemask, and a condom.

“Do we though? Our kitchen is tiny, and my room is off-limits. Which leaves your room, Lucas’s room, and the living room.” Ten had moved on to pasting large stars to the ceiling.

“That’s 7.33 people per room.”

“You really want seven people in your bedroom? All at once?” Ten asked sarcastically.

“Well, when you put it that way…” Mark nodded slowly. “Wait, why’s your room a no-go zone?”

“Where the hell else are we supposed to store all the shit we don’t want to get broken?”

“Oh, good point,” Mark responded, not even bothering to question the choice of Ten’s room over the other two residents’. It went without saying that Ten’s space was far worthier of preservation than their respective disaster palaces. “Did you finally get a lock?”

“Yes, it was delivered on Tuesday. After Lucas woke me up at six a few weeks ago by barging in - with Mongolian throat-singing blasting from his phone - and ripping the covers entirely off my bed, I decided I’d about had enough.”

Mark choked back a laugh. “Holy shit, he did that? Why don’t I remember?”

“Because, for once, you were at Donghyuck’s place for the night.” Satisfied with his star arrangement, Ten joined Mark at the table.

Mark handed him a few bags to fill. “I seriously can’t believe Lucas is still alive.”

“He came closer than he ever has before to losing his life that day,” Ten said sourly. “I only spared him because I am _not_ going to prison for killing a clown.”

Mark began laughing unreasonably hard in lieu of a reply and Ten was compelled to take over the party favor endeavor while he rolled around on the floor.

“It wasn’t that funny, Mark. You can stop now,” Ten poked his friend with one foot. “You need to go make an effort to tidy up your room. I’m going to beat Lucas into doing something about his.” Ten closed the last party bag and headed out of the room, checking over his shoulder that Mark was actually getting his ass in gear.

Ten didn’t even entertain the notion of knocking – Lucas certainly never did. The sight that greeted him on the other side of the door suggested maybe he should have. Lucas was wearing nothing but basketball shorts and headphones while dancing wildly to whatever he was listening to at top volume. When he sensed Ten’s presence, he pulled the headphones off but kept bouncing.

“Ten!”

“Lucas.” Ten’s poker face would have made Lady Gaga very proud.

“What can I do for you?” Lucas had made his way to where Ten stood and was attempting to get Ten to up the count of his one-man disco party.

“Funny you should ask,” Ten said saccharinely, hands locked firmly behind his back. “Clean your room.”

Lucas did a double take. “Clean my room? But tomorrow’s my birthday!”

Ten grabbed Lucas’s chin, “Look at me.”

A crease formed between Lucas’s eyebrows. “I—I’m looking.”

“Very good. Now tell me, where in my face do you see anything that suggests I care?”

Lucas blinked. Ten smirked, “It’s a trick question. The answer is ‘nowhere.’ Now get to work.”

Lucas wrapped his fingers around Ten’s forearm. “Okay. But can I tell you a secret first?”

Ten gave him a very long-suffering look. “Make it snappy.”

Lucas stared straight into Ten’s eyes as he said, “I’m, like, a little bit turned on right now.”

Ten wrenched his arm away. “Lucas Wong, I swear to god, if you are not restoring some semblance of order to this chaos you live in within the next thirty seconds, you are going to wish even you _great_ -grandmother hadn’t been born.”

“Is that supposed to be helping? Because I’m pretty sure you’re just making it worse.” Lucas crowded Ten up against the wall.

“Mark!” Ten screamed. “Call the police because you’re going to need to report a murder!”

“Please leave me out of whatever weird-ass foreplay you two are engaged in right now,” came the unamused reply.

Ten scoffed. “Everyone in this house is a lost fucking cause. Can you get off me?”

“What’s the magic word?”

“Or else,” Ten snarled, trying not to allow the proximity of Lucas’s naked torso to have any sort of an effect on him.

Lucas shook his head, his bangs falling over his face. “That’s two words.”

Ten, just angered enough to be both bold and vengeful, ran one palm slowly down Lucas’s chest and abdomen, halting right above his navel. “Please.”

Having gotten more than he bargained for, Lucas quickly stepped back and Ten chuckled.

“Don’t mess with me,” he said quietly before exiting the room. Ten may or may not have grinned with immense satisfaction at the whispered _fuck_ Lucas let out as he passed through the door.

***

The first half of Lucas’s birthday involved homemade pancakes (thank you, Ten), a very loud and very lengthy FaceTime call from his family in Hong Kong, six rounds of _Just Dance_ 4, what must have amounted to a pig’s entire belly, and the frenzied relocation of electronics and literally anything fragile to Ten’s room. By the time it was necessary to shower and get ready for the party, Ten was seriously beginning to wonder how he was supposed to maintain this level of activity for the rest of the night.

Lucas, as jazzed as ever, bounded around the apartment, vociferating at random. “We’re gonna get lit!!!”

“Shut up, Lucas, or you’re gonna get _hit_ ,” Ten snapped, reclining on the couch in the hopes of five minutes of respite.

“You can’t be like that to him on his birthday,” Mark said despite being mid-phone call with Donghyuck who could be easily heard echoing Lucas’s sentiment on the other end of the line.

“Yeah, say you’re sorry,” Lucas crossed his arms petulantly.

“I’m sorry,” Ten paused before finishing, “…that you exist.”

Mark ditched Donghyuck and Lucas launched himself across the room so they could coordinate a pillowed offensive against Ten as retribution for his transgressions. They only let up when Ten was breathless, tears of laughter-frustration streaming down his cheeks, and begging for mercy.

Free at last, he fled to the bathroom to regain his sanity. And shower. Not necessarily in that order. While Ten was in his room, ostensibly getting dressed but really just finding reasons not to return to his tormentors, he heard Donghyuck arrive. Boisterously, as he did everything.

When the doorbell rang once, very politely, Ten knew someone worth his time was about to grace the house with their presence. He would deign to greet them.

“I’ll get it,” Ten sang, gliding across the living room to the front door. He opened it to reveal Taeyong and Jaehyun, the former grasping a bottle of champagne and the latter supporting a large tray of finger food.

“Hello, loves,” Ten relieved Taeyong of the champagne and kissed both of his cheeks before exchanging a warm half-hug with the still beladen Jaehyun.

“We’re on time, right?” Taeyong asked as Ten led them further into the apartment.

“You’re basically early. Only person to beat you is that fiend,” Ten replied, pointing at Donghyuck, who ululated an acknowledgment.

“Happy birthday!” Jaehyun congratulated Lucas, high fiving him. The bro energy – Ten was going to die from mere exposure to it. Taeyong copied his boyfriend, minus the gut-turning hand gesture, before taking up residence on the couch above Mark and Donghyuck, the two of whom were intertwined awkwardly on the floor. Jaehyun sat next to Taeyong, and Ten was about to join them when he was disrupted by another ring.

“I’ll get it. Again,” Ten sighed, shaking his head at Mark who seemed to be at least _entertaining_ the possibility of getting up.

Xiaojun, Kun, Yangyang, and Hendery, the group of Chinese international students whom Lucas was close with and whom Mark and Ten had grown familiar with by association, crowded around the entrance. Kun already looked exasperated. Hendery and Yangyang were pulling each other’s hair and Xiaojun was watching them disinterestedly.

“大家好!” Ten said carefully, resuscitating his seldom used Mandarin.

Kun smiled, “Hi. I’m sorry for the children’s…antics.”

“We aren’t children!” Hendery and Yangyang protested simultaneously.

“Kind of hard to believe when you’re acting like them,” Xiaojun deadpanned, inspecting his nails.

Ten restrained a laugh, “Please come in. I’m sure Lucas will be delighted you’re here. Kun, feel free to take a breather in my room any time. Just let me know and I’ll open it up for you.” He squeezed Kun’s shoulder and pointedly ignored the dirty looks Hendery and Yangyang were throwing his way. Somehow, Xiaojun was already inside chatting to the birthday boy.

The addition of four people had transformed the gathering from intimate to…well, loud. But that was mostly because Hendery, Yangyang, Donghyuck, and Lucas in one room was asking for trouble. Ten just hoped someone would get the inspired idea to venture to other parts of the house sometime soon. Otherwise, Kun would need to spend the _entire_ night in Ten’s room.

Mark had separated himself from his leechling and was attending to snacks and drinks which had been set up earlier but needed to be opened. Ten, suddenly remembering the playlist he’d exerted untold efforts over, flicked on the sound system and adjusted the volume to that perfectly balanced level which allowed both civil conversation and enjoyment of the music. Without being asked, Mark lowered the lights. Donghyuck hooted. And the doorbell rang. Again.

Ten, making an executive decision to reprise his role as doorperson, fulfilled his duties.

“Bitch,” Yuta pronounced evenly.

“Bitch,” Ten responded with equal lack of emotion.

“Hi, Ten,” WinWin said amicably from where he was adhered to Yuta’s side. “How are you?”

“Oh, I’m well, sweetie, how are you?” Ten pinched Winwin’s cheek affectionately before taking his and Yuta’s coats.

“I’m fine. Yuta is too, by the way, he’d just rather not say.” WinWin remained unfazed when his boyfriend put him in a headlock.

Ten shooed the odd couple into the rapidly filling living area and lugged their coats to his room. Normally, he’d just let people toss their shit on the ground near the door, but Yuta never wore anything unless it was horrifically expensive and Ten knew Winwin’s jacket must be just as pricey given that it was undoubtedly a gift _from_ Yuta.

WinWin and Yuta’s appearance prompted the usual eruption of noise and rabid hugging predominantly because of WinWin, whom everyone adored with unmatched passion. The whole time WinWin was being showered with (un)healthy doses of moderately aggressive affection, Yuta shot literal death rays from his eyes at anyone who laid hands on him. Which was everybody. There is no world in which we are not all WinWin stans.

Lucas began distributing party hats, insisting that everyone don theirs immediately. Ten tried to resist only to have Lucas pin both his arms to his sides with one of his much longer ones, securing the ridiculous head gear on him with his free hand. When some heathenous creature started banging on the door as if doorbells hadn’t been invented yet, Ten abandoned his previously assumed post to Donghyuck.

“THE DREAM TEAM!” Donghyuck howled. The five boys were lined up in height order, Renjun at the front with Chenle’s fist hovering over his shoulder. _So, that’s who had nothing but disrespect for doors._ Upon seeing Donghyuck they all leapt on him. At the same time.

Having realized who’d just arrived, Mark and Lucas rocketed over to the pile of bodies in order to add themselves into the mix. Ten sensed his Responsible Adult function activating.

“OK, all of you, listen up.” A few mumbles of cooperation encouraged Ten to proceed. “Get yourselves drinks and snacks and then _go to Mark’s room._ Except for you, Jaemin, I want to talk to you.”

Mark, Lucas, Jeno, Donghyuck, Chenle, and Jisung extricated themselves from one another and descended on the table, which was really in no way prepared for the onslaught. Ten just prayed nothing broke.

Jaemin sidled up beside him, “Hey.”

Ten rolled his eyes. “Turn down the flirt, sugar. I’m immune. Besides, I want to hear how my OTP is doing.”

Jaemin beamed, “I’m gonna tell Taeyong and Jaehyun that.”

“Go ahead. As if they’re not sailing with this ship, too.”

“We’re good. _So_ good. Especially in bed. Jeno does this thing—”

“Wow, hello, I didn’t ask for a blow-by-blow of your sex life,” Ten cut him off.

“Sorry, I forgot that you’re a monk these days,” Jaemin said far too pleasantly given the nature of his words.

“First of all, fuck you. Secondly, also fuck you. Thirdly, I’m disgustingly happy for you guys. You were only friends for what? Ten years?”

“Eleven,” Jaemin corrected. “We got that slow burn.”

Ten cackled, “Anyone still reading needs to have a serious conversation with themselves.”

“So…you?” Jaemin skipped away before Ten could land a hit on him. Jeno did his lovely little halfmoon-eyes smile when he saw Jaemin approaching, quickly intertwining their hands and guiding him to Mark’s room.

“Ugh,” Ten lamented under his breath. “Why can’t that be me?”

“Why can’t what be you?” Ten hadn’t noticed Lucas coming up behind him. He jumped slightly and cleared his throat.

“Oh, nothing. How do you feel about your party so far?”

Lucas took an excited swig of his beer. “It’s fucking lit, man!”

“Oh my god, if you say that word one more time, I’m banning it from further use in this house.”

Lucas shook a finger at him. “It’s my birthday, you can’t ban shit. Lit! Lit! L-I-T!”

“In three hours, it won’t be your birthday anymore. _Then_ I will kill you.”

“No, you won’t,” Lucas sing-songed, opening the revolving fucking door to welcome Sungchan and Shotaro, the newest members of their social circle. The two were freshpeople whom Lucas had met in class the previous semester and took a shine to.

“Sungchan! Shotaro! My sons!” Lucas cried, pulling both of them into a bear hug. “Thank you for coming through.”

“You’re welcome,” Sungchan replied, a little shy.

“Happy birthday!” Shotaro’s happy face resembled an otter. Ten’s heart melted.

“Did I just hear a Japanese name?” Yuta, still glued to Winwin, materialized at Lucas’s side.

“Yeah, mine. I’m Japanese.” Shotaro bowed slightly to Yuta who seized his hand, introduced him to Winwin, and continued to converse with him in rapid fire Japanese.

Ten offered Sungchan a pitying glance, “I’m sorry Yuta stole your friend. Don’t expect him back any time soon. If ever. Let’s find you some new friends. What flavor do you like? Chaotic or chill?”

Lucas snorted and Sungchan’s cheeks reddened, “Um, chill sounds good.”

“Wise choice. Follow me,” Ten beckoned Sungchan into the living room and caught Taeyong and Jaehyun’s attention. “This is Sungchan. Please be kind to him. He just lost his friend. To Yuta.”

“Hello, Sungchan,” Taeyong said, already smiling. “Sit with us!” Sungchan did and Jaehyun immediately began asking him very casual “get-to-know-you” questions.

 _Mission accomplished._ Ten helped himself to a drink. As a reward. For his goodness.

Ten was expecting the next guest but that didn’t mean he was _ready_ for him. He was spared having to let Johnny and his roommate, Taeil, in by Mark but as soon as Johnny scanned his surroundings and spotted Ten, he came right over to him.

“Hey, Ten. You look really good,” Johnny said admiringly and Ten gulped.

“Hi, thank you. I try,” Ten replied.

Johnny winked at him. “You don’t have to.”

Ten pulled a face while fiercely holding back the urge to check if Lucas was looking at them. He wasn’t sure why he hadn’t thought about this earlier. He’d been at gatherings they were both present at before, but that was prior to the beginning of whatever it was that he and Johnny had going on. Now, faced with the situation as it was, he felt uncharacteristically awkward.

So, he finished his drink in one large swallow and asked Johnny if he would like to accompany him to acquire another one. Ten took the opportunity to locate Lucas, only to find that he wasn’t even in the room anymore. There was a god. Or gods. Somebody was on his side tonight.

As he and Johnny sipped their drinks and traded small talk, Ten did a mental head count. Given the noise distribution, he figured Jeno, Jaemin, Jisung, Chenle, Renjun, Mark and Donghyuck were in Mark’s room and Kun, Yangyang, Hendery, Xiaojun, and Lucas were in Lucas’s. Though the frequent footsteps pounding down the hallway suggested a lot of bouncing back and forth was occurring. Yuta, WinWin, and Shotaro seemed to have chosen the kitchen as their haven while Taeyong, Jaehyun, Sungchan, and Taeil remained in the living room with Ten and Johnny. One person was missing. Like magic, the doorbell sounded for the last time.

“Fashionably late, I see,” Ten remarked, arms crossed.

“Always,” Doyoung’s gaze was sharp, his hair exquisitely coiffed, his black turtleneck swaddling his neck alluringly.

The two stared at one another down in silence. Then, Doyoung’s face broke into a gummy smile and Ten hugged him.

“Taeyong!” Ten called. “Doyoung’s here.”

“I know,” Taeyong was already beside him, taking Ten’s place when he vacated Doyoung’s arms, “Hello, bunny.” Doyoung clocked him on the head and they both giggled.

A sensation of calm washed over Ten now that everyone had arrived. He returned to Johnny just to let him know that he was going to check on those who had wandered to other rooms. In Mark’s, he was dismayed to find no one, which could only mean one thing.

Sure enough, twelve people were positioned haphazardly around Lucas’s room. Yangyang, Hendery, Jisung, and Chenle were on the bed. Renjun, Jaemin, and Jeno were pretzeled together in a corner, propped atop a mountain of clothing. Kun sat comfortably in Lucas’s desk chair, Xiaojun on the ground between his knees, while Mark and Donghyuck shared the bean bag, which had migrated with them. Lucas had cleared his desk and was using it as his throne. They were all engaged in a swiftly derailing game of Truth or Dare.

Ten dared not make a peep lest someone notice his presence and drag him into the game. Instead, he ensured that everyone seemed alive and uninjured before sneaking back down the hall.

“Everything okay?” Johnny asked.

“Yes, they’re playing truth or dare,” Ten pretended to shiver in fright.

Johnny perked up. “Oh, cool!”

“No, not cool. I hate that game.”

“Why?”

“Because I always end up having to do stupid shit or air out my dirty laundry. Neither of which I enjoy.” Ten scooped up a handful of potato chips, eating them absentmindedly.

“You got a lotta secrets?” Johnny wiggled his eyebrows.

“No more than the next person,” Ten said.

“Me thinks the lady doth protest too much.” Johnny laughed loudly when Ten hurled a chip at him, catching it in his mouth expertly.

On a whim, Ten clasped Johnny’s hand in his own, “I like this song. Wanna dance?”

“Sure!”

Taeyong and Jaehyun and then Yuta and WinWin joined them, restoring Shotaro to his friend. They pushed the couch (with Doyoung on it because he refused to move) and the table to the edges of the room to free up more space. Ten turned up the music and the eight of them started dancing while Doyoung looked on in faux disapproval.

‘Fever’ came on, which Ten had forgotten he’d included in the playlist, and he felt a little guilty. It was Lucas’s birthday and instead of celebrating with him here he was lowkey grinding on Johnny. Which wasn’t wrong (actually, it was kind of fun) but it didn’t _seem_ right.

When the song ended, he made the excuse of needing the bathroom so he could go to Lucas’s room once again. This time, he walked straight in and announced at the top of his lungs, “It’s time for cake!”

The reaction was instantaneous. Ten’s life flashed before his eyes as a dozen men stampeded around and over him to exit the room. Within seconds, only he and Lucas remained.

“What you been up to?” Lucas asked.

“Dancing.”

Lucas gasped, “Without me?”

Ten cringed. “Sorry?”

Lucas invaded his space. “I’m happy. And tipsy. So, I forgive you.”

Ten gestured into the hall. “Cake?”

“Cake!” Lucas swung Ten over his shoulder and sped into the living room. Mark had brought out the enormous ice cream cake and Taeyong was lighting the candles. Lucas set Ten down beside him and clapped repeatedly to get everyone’s attention.

“People, homies, dearly beloved. We’re here today because I’m old. Not as old as Ten but still, old. Thank you all for coming, I love you all so much, and I can’t wait to eat this fucking cake!”

Lots of drunken applause and then a very cacophonous rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ featuring a gorgeous high note from Doyoung followed.

Lucas blew out the candles so hard that Ten worried he’d be wounded internally and Jaehyun, wielding the largest knife they owned, divvied up the cake. Of course, arguments over the fact that the slices were slightly differently sized ensued as well as nagging requests for edge pieces over middle pieces.

Yangyang and Hendery waged an extremely ill-advised tug-of-war over the piece that said “Lucas” which resulted – shocker of all shocks – in semi-melted ice cream and frosting soaking into the floorboards. Inadvertently, Ten made eye-contact with Johnny and very slowly shook his head in dismay before going to the kitchen in search of cleaning supplies.

Chenle painted Jisung’s face with frosting before the younger man had the chance to stop him, but other than that no further cake-related incidences transpired. Ten circled the room with a trashcan, requesting that everyone drop their plates and utensils into it. He strongly believed in the “clean as you go” methodology.

With everyone together in one place and the night drawing on, Taeyong prudently suggested that present opening commence.

“Lucas, we are all broke as fuck, so we pooled on two gifts for you,” Taeyong said and Mark handed Lucas two carefully wrapped boxes.

Lucas shrieked “oh my god!” and demolished the wrapping paper in seconds. The first gift was a very, very nice and very, very expensive Garmin watch.

“Obviously, it will help with your workouts,” Jaehyun explained. “But it’s also fire-proof.”

“That’s so thoughtful. Thank you, guys!” Lucas looked visibly moved.

“Open the other one!” Donghyuck yelled.

“Give me a second to admire this, jeez,” Lucas was fastening the watch and twisting his arm back and forth. Then, he moved to the second box.

“Holy shit. Bungee-jumping?” Lucas was in seventh heaven.

“Yup! It’s all set up. You just have to choose a day. And someone to bring with you,” Yangyang replied. He had been the one to suggest the gift in the group chat they’d set up for the purpose. Probably as a joke, but everyone had agreed that for this recipient, the idea was actually a good one. Rather uncommon where Yangyang was concerned…

“Brothers, bring it in!” Lucas spread his arms, and everyone crowded around him for an enormous group hug that quickly devolved into tickling, scratching, and even biting. _What the fuck, Donghyuck?_

Ten broke away first. “Um, Lucas?”

“Yeah?” Lucas’s head poked out from the middle of the huddle.

“I also have something for you. Would you like it now or later?”

Lucas looked helplessly down at his trapped limbs. “Maybe later?”

“Later’s good.”

As with all their parties, this one lasted well into the night and only concluded when every bottle had been sucked dry and every morsel of food devoured. Kun, still relatively sober, corralled a far less lucid Yangyang, Hendery, and Xiaojun, tucked them into their coats, and ushered them out the door. Ten sent his blessings after them. Kun would need every ounce of goodwill he could get.

Shotaro and Sungchan left next. Ten was surprised they’d stayed as long as they had – this was perhaps their first serious college party and at the very least the first one with this particular crowd. Yuta and Winwin, no longer discernible as separate entities, stumbled out on their coattails. The Dream Team, as vivacious and accident-prone (Jisung broke a vase and Renjun tore down some décor – granted, it was only because Chenle shoved him) as ever, only departed when Jaemin and Jeno tried to hook up in Mark’s room and Ten put his foot down. No one was making any babies under his roof.

Taeil and Johnny chatted to Ten for a while longer before Taeil tapped Johnny and the taller man nodded resignedly.

“Okay, Ten, we’d better go. This party rocked. Where’s Lucas?”

Hearing his name, Lucas, scampered, precariously, into the kitchen where the three of them had congregated. “’Sup?”

“We’re heading out,” Taeil said. “We wanted to say goodbye.”

“And happy birthday, man!” Johnny hugged Lucas, and Ten felt eight different kinds of strange watching it happen.

At the door, Johnny embraced Ten somewhat tenderly, his breath ghosting over Ten’s ear as he said goodnight. When he and Taeil had finally left and the door was shut behind them, Ten sighed. Twice.

Twenty minutes later, Doyoung, Taeyong, and Jaehyun, who had been whispering to each other on the couch for what seemed like ages, announced their imminent departure. Together. Which, okay? Ten didn’t think there was anything to read into that, but he’d ask Taeyong tomorrow to make sure. No tea shall go unspilled.

Despite Ten’s valiant efforts to the contrary, the apartment looked like a warzone. Or a dumpster. Ten forlornly surveyed the wreckage and quickly decided he’d tackle it in the morning. Right now, he needed to give Lucas his gift and go the fuck to sleep.

Mark and Donghyuck hadn’t even made it to the bedroom. They were passed out on the couch. Ten pulled a blanket over them before retrieving Lucas’s present and carrying it to his room.

Lucas was lying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling when Ten came in.

“It’s later.”

“Is that my gift?” Lucas sat up.

“Yes,” Ten placed the large wrapped object on the bed.

“It’s big,” Lucas marveled, slowly removing the wrapping. As he uncovered the canvas and recognized the face painted across it, his hand flew to his mouth.

“I made your ears too small,” Ten said quietly, almost tripping over the words.

“Ten, Ten, Ten,” Lucas repeated. “This is the most beautiful painting I have ever seen.”

Ten inhaled. “You’re only saying that because it’s your face.”

“No, I’m saying it because you made it. For me.” Lucas walked the painting to his desk and set it down gingerly before returning to the bed and sitting next to Ten. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Ten replied softly, gladly receiving the hug Lucas pulled him into.

“Happy birthday.”

Lucas nuzzled his neck. “You just made it even happier.”

Ten really, really wanted to kiss him. But it was Lucas’s birthday. It would be unfair to do that today of all days. Instead, Ten slipped out of Lucas’s arms and sat back.

“I’m going to bed now.”

“Do you have to leave?” Lucas lay his head in Ten’s lap.

“I guess not,” Ten replied against his better judgment.

“Then stay."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for those of you wondering where jungwoo is: in my head, he's lucas's ex in this story!!! i would never leave bby out for no reason. i thought so hard about this because i was like jungwoo i can't do you dirty like this, but i am so attached to the idea of past luwoo that i went through with it. *writer angst intensifies uncontrollably*


	16. Big Chance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 🤭

So, you know how January seems to go on literally forever and then February is like 'hi,,,okay, imma head out'? Yeah. Ten suffered severe whiplash when he realized the date. His birthday was genuinely right around the corner. Not that he could focus on that at the moment: his professors appeared to have colluded to saddle him with an inhumane amount of homework despite the fact that semester had _just_ started. Unwilling to struggle alone, he first sought out Mark.

“Markie!” He tapped a staccato beat on Mark’s door.

“What?” A voice that was definitely not Mark’s replied.

“Oh, god, you’re here again?” Ten groaned.

“I fail to see how it’s your business whether or not I’m here,” Donghyuck said indignantly.

“This is my house. That’s how,” Ten shot back.

“Ten, go away. If I want my boyfriend here, then he will be here,” Mark interjected.

“I take it you don’t want to study together then,” Ten said. Glumly.

“Mark’s a little busy right now. And very naked.” Donghyuck squealed as Mark undoubtedly subjected him to some sort of physical revenge for his unnecessary frankness.

“That was way more information than I needed. Goodbye, nymphos.” Ten admitted defeat and moved on to his next target, vaguely catching a multi-part insult from Mark as he did so.

“Lucas?” The door was open but Ten figured that courtesy was in order to ensure the success of his mission.

Lucas swiveled in his desk chair. “Ten out of ten. What’s good?”

“Excuse you, I’m at least a twelve out of ten. Anyway, I need to do schoolwork and I want a friend,” Ten pouted theatrically. Pathos was everything. According to that bitch Aristotle, at least.

“I am also doing homework! Let’s be friends.” Lucas fixed up his bed and gestured for Ten to make himself at home on it.

“You’re so much better than Mark. He doesn’t want to be friends. He just wants to suck Donghyuck's dick all day,” Ten’s features twisted grotesquely as he spoke.

Lucas frowned, “I’m the second choice?”

Ten recovered smoothly, “No, you’re the better choice…and Mark’s room was closer.”

Lucas seemed in no way appeased. “I can’t believe this. I would walk to the end of the Earth for you.”

“The only thing you would walk any appreciable distance for is food,” Ten said dismissively.

“Maybe,” Lucas shrugged. “I’m still hurt.”

Ten turned on his computer and opened a blank document. “Sounds like a you problem.”

“I’m starting to understand why Mark didn’t want to spend time with you,” Lucas resumed his reading with an exasperated shake of his head.

After a few minutes, Ten felt the need to be a nuisance again. “It’s too quiet in here. Can you play some music?”

Lucas looked over his shoulder, quirking one brow. “You’re very demanding, aren’t you?” Ten merely blinked at him. “What would your highness like to listen to?”

“Mm,” Ten thought for a second. “Remember that time when we studied ages ago and you played that qin music? Let’s listen to that.”

“You remember that?” Lucas said, surprised.

“Of course, I do. It was the first time I felt soft about you.” Ten wasn’t sure which one of his erratic brain cells decided to produce that idiotic string of words but there it was, hanging in the air between them.

Lucas blushed – something Ten was pretty certain he’d never seen him do before – and replied with a single sound, “Oh.”

Ten shifted on the bed, avoiding Lucas’s gaze. “Um, you gonna play the music or…”

Startling, Lucas scrambled to open his Spotify. “Yes, right, sorry. One second.”

Ten was instantly grateful for the soft strains of the guqin. Grounded, he could finally focus enough to write. He did so for a while, occasionally pausing to stare out the window thoughtfully. Eventually, he took a longer break in order to brew tea for himself and Lucas.

When he returned, carrying two steaming mugs of green tea, Lucas had stopped working. He was seated on the bed, his hands twisting in his lap. Ten set their tea on the bedside table and sat beside him. For a few moments, neither of them spoke.

“Ten,” Lucas said, his voicing shaking almost imperceptibly.

“Yes?” Ten’s felt his pulse speed up.

Lucas hesitated and then shook his head, “Never mind.”

Ten was puzzled, “Okay…”

“I’m sick of reading. Can we have a pillow fight?” Lucas’s demeanor transformed into one of mischief.

Ten, left reeling by the sudden change of atmosphere, stuttered, “A p-pillow fight? Right now?”

Lucas, already grasping a pillow, nodded. “Yeah!”

“This is so not going to end well. Let me just move our tea,” Ten muttered as he transferred the cups to the desk. Hopefully, out of harm’s way.

Lucas tossed him a pillow and then came at him with unrestrained fervor, whacking Ten as hard as he could.

“What the fuck! This is supposed to be cute and fun, not homicide!” Ten shouted, despite retaliating with comparable ferocity.

“Doing it like this _is_ fun,” Lucas replied, attempting to take Ten’s legs out from under him. Ten sprang out of his reach and launched an attack on Lucas’s head. Or at least tried to. Lucas was way too fucking tall.

As Lucas evaded him, Ten had an idea and jumped up onto the bed. From this height he was in an optimal striking position. His next swipe landed perfectly, and Lucas staggered.

“Ow!” He howled, leaping onto the bed once he’d ceased seeing stars. Ten knew his ephemeral advantage was over. But there wasn’t really anywhere to go. When Lucas swung at him again, Ten dove between his legs and flipped over. He connected the pillow with Lucas’s unprotected rear end.

“Score!” Ten yelled as Lucas growled and caught himself against the wall.

“You’re gonna pay for that.” Lucas threw himself down and grabbed Ten, rolling him onto his back so he could smack his butt with the pillow. Again, and again, and again.

Ten started shrieking madly, thrashing his legs and calling Lucas every awful epithet he could think of. Lucas laughed maniacally and refused to relent until his arm grew too exhausted to go on. He cast aside the pillow and lowered himself to be parallel with Ten.

The two looked at one another quietly, Ten’s expression fierce and Lucas’s triumphant. Then, they both sobered and Lucas slowly brought one hand to rest against Ten’s cheek. Ten’s breathing hitched.

“Lucas, what did you want to tell me earlier?” he asked.

Lucas’s mouth twisted. “I don’t really know how to say it. I want to tell you many things. I want to tell you that the slope of your nose is something I could look at for the rest of my life.  
I want to tell you that the day you helped me get the job at the animal shelter I wondered what I did deserve you as my friend. I want to tell you that when you wake up you squint and shake your head as if there are clouds in it that you need to clear away. I want to tell you that that makes my heart race. I want to tell you that as much as I like to talk, I could spend many, many absolutely silent hours with you. I want to tell you that every day I spent in Hong Kong, I missed you. I want to tell you that every night, right before I fall asleep, I remember I am going to see you in the morning and that I don’t have the words to describe how much I appreciate that. I want to tell you that when we danced together at NEO, I felt more alive than I ever have before. I want to tell you that when you touch me every inch of my skin is set alight. I want to tell you so much, Ten, but I…” Lucas trailed off, his eyes falling closed as he pinched his the bridge of his nose.

“Lucas,” Ten whispered. Urgently. Lucas’s eyes flicked open. “Lucas, kiss me.”

Lucas surged forwards and Ten rushed to meet him. The kiss was gentle at first and then eager. Desperate. Lucas skimmed his hand along Ten’s neck, tangling it in Ten’s hair and pulling ever so slightly. Ten hummed against his mouth, clutching Lucas’s bicep and drawing their bodies closer together. All Ten could think of was that it felt like taking a breath of the freshest air after years of not being able to breathe. At all.

The reality of literal respiration caught up with him rapidly. At the same time, he and Lucas pulled back from one another. Gasping. Seeing the redness of Lucas’s lips, the ruddiness of his cheeks, Ten grinned.

“I’ve wanted to do that for so long,” he confessed.

Lucas reached out to play with a strand of his hair. “Why didn’t you?”

Ten fixed his gaze on Lucas’s chest, “Because I…well, I thought you still liked your ex. And I didn’t want to make things difficult for you, I guess.”

Lucas blanched. “What? Because of Jungwoo? That—”

Ten huffed, “Don’t act so surprised. After we talked that time at the park, I thought for sure you weren’t over him. I didn’t know what to do. I thought it would be better to give you time. Or something.”

“Okay, you might have been right,” Lucas admitted. “At that point, I wasn’t really. For a while, I was confused. I realized I liked you. But I still had feelings for him. I felt like my head was gonna explode every time I thought about it. So, I just didn’t.”

Ten nodded, “I suppose that’s fair.”

“No, it isn’t. I need to work on processing my feelings rather than just shoving them under the bed. And I did that, eventually. It just took me a while to get my shit sorted. But I wanted to have it sorted before I said anything to you.”

Ten giggled, “Does that mean you have your shit sorted now?”

Lucas smiled, kissing his nose. “Yes.”

Ten ran his finger back and forth across Lucas’s bottom lip, thrilled that he was allowed to do that now. “I like you. I like you a lot.”

Resting his forehead against Ten’s, Lucas replied, “I like you too. Will you be my boyfriend?”

Ten wanted to tease him but he was feeling far too overwhelmed with happiness to be his usual snarky self. “Yeah. Will you be mine?”

“Obviously.” Lucas pulled him against his chest and buried his nose in the crown of Ten’s head. “You smell nice.”

“Thank you. You have very nice pecs,” Ten laid a hand on one of Lucas’s pectoral muscles and squeezed. Lucas laughed. And flexed. Ten swatted at him.

“You’re annoying.”

Lucas tipped Ten’s chin up with two fingers. “You just said you liked me; how can you think I’m annoying?”

“I can like you and still think you’re annoying.” Ten rotated his body so that he was lying on his back. Lucas followed him, climbing on top of Ten and settling his head on his sternum.

“So,” Lucas said.

“So,” Ten replied, sensing danger.

“Does this mean we can fuck now?”

Ten hissed. “Oh my god, why are you like this???”

Lucas smirked. “Just asking.”

“No, you weren’t. I can feel that you’re hard. What are you? Sixteen?” Ten pushed Lucas off and sat up.

Lucas righted himself as well, crossing his legs. “Some boyfriend.”

“I have been your boyfriend for five whole minutes and you already want to stick your dick in me. What happened to all the ‘you have a nice nose’ romantic shit?”

Covering his face, Lucas said, “Stop, stop, stop, you’re embarrassing me.”

“I know. It’s adorable. Put your hands down. I want to kiss you again.”

Ten kissed the corner of Lucas’s eye, the line of his jaw, the edge of his lips, and finally his mouth. He nipped Lucas lightly and Lucas paused before biting him back. Ten congratulated himself for not moaning.

He broke the kiss, looking over at the desk. “I think our tea’s cold.”

Laughing, Lucas suggested, “We could microwave it.”

In the kitchen, Lucas and Ten placed their mugs side by side in the microwave and Ten set the timer for two minutes. As they waited, pushing each other playfully, Donghyuck came in. Hair askew.

“Hello, fuckers,” he said as he opened the fridge and extracted a jar of kimchi, taking off the lid and proceeding to eat it with his fingers.

“Hello, Hyuck,” Lucas stuck his hand out, a silent request that Donghyuck share with him.

Donghyuck obliged him, albeit grudgingly. “Why does something feel different?”

The microwave beeped and Ten carefully took out the teas. “What do you mean?”

Before responding, Donghyuck peered at Ten and then at Lucas, his eyes growing wide. “Oh. My. God. It happened, didn’t it? It finally fucking happened!”

Lucas blushed (wow, twice in one day) and Ten spluttered. “Nothing happened, what are you talking about?”

“Mark!” Donghyuck’s voice was at a fever pitch. “Come in here right now. Lucas and Ten finally admitted their undying love for one another.”

Mark appeared in seconds. Could bitch teleport? Ten had just thrust himself at Donghyuck, ready to tear his eyes out. Lucas had taken ahold of his shoulders and was trying pull him back.

“They did what?” Mark enquired, eyes darting between Donghyuck, Ten, and Lucas, all of whom had separated from one another now.

“God, we just kissed!” Ten cried. And then covered his mouth abruptly. Lucas cackled beside him while Donghyuck started fanning himself. Mark ran directly at Ten and enveloped him in a bone-crushing hug.

“Yay! I am so glad. My babies are together!” he gushed.

“Your babies?” Ten and Lucas said at the exact same time. “We’re both older than you???”

“Doesn’t matter. On this issue, you’re years behind me. Sorry.” Mark and Donghyuck high-fived one another obnoxiously.

Lucas poked Mark, “Where’s my hug?”

“Here!” Mark jumped on Lucas with the same vigor he’d employed with Ten. “So, will you guys share a room now? Can we get another roommate?”

Ten’s answer came at the speed of light, “Absolutely not.”

Mark’s face fell. “Boo.” Ten ignored him, handing Lucas his tea and gesturing for them to return to his room.

“Later, homies,” Lucas told Mark and Donghyuck as he and Ten exited. Donghyuck waved and Mark presented his tongue as an indication of his displeasure.

Cocooning himself in Lucas’s bed, Ten said, “This is a silly question but I’m going to ask you anyway. When did you know you liked me?”

“The moment I met you.”

Ten rolled his eyes, “Be serious!”

“You just said it was a silly question. But fine. I guess I knew when you danced for me the first time. I don’t know how to describe it, but it was like you were letting me see a part of you that was special or something…yeah, I don’t know.” Lucas made meaningless motions with his hands. “I just remember going _oh_.”

Ten crawled into his lap. “I like that. I remember that day too. I remember when I stopped, and you were staring at me. I wasn’t really sure what to do with myself.”

Lucas clasped Ten’s hips between his palms. “Interesting, because you came off cool as fucking cucumber. When was it for you?”

Ten tilted his head, thinking. “For me, it was more like a series of moments. The first was when you folded the napkins into boats and said it was something your grandma taught you. And then there was the whole thing with Monster, the puppy. You care so deeply about life, especially the lives of others. How could I not be infatuated?” Ten paused briefly so he and Lucas could share a kiss before continuing. “I think the moment that really meant the most though, in terms of making me fully realize, was the day we went to the supermarket together for the first time. I was exhausted and a little part of me definitely wanted to kill you, but I couldn’t shake the desire to take you in my arms and never let you go.”

“You said I was irresistible. I didn’t know you were serious.”

“I was,” Ten said. “You still are.”

Lucas turned his face aside, shy. Ten sighed and used his hand to guide Lucas’s head back towards him.

“I want to look at you.”

Lucas smiled, revealing all of his teeth. “Okay. When will you be done?”

“Never.”

Groaning Lucas pushed Ten onto his back and kissed his clothed chest. “I think I preferred un-boyfriend you. At least I’m used to his brand of annoying.”

Ten gazed up at him. “Yeah, but did he do this?” As he spoke, he pulled himself into Lucas’s lap once more and began to cover his neck and collarbones with warm, open-mouthed kisses.

Lucas slipped his hands under Ten’s shirt and ran his fingers over the ridges of his ribs. “No, no, he didn’t,” Lucas replied, his voice deepening.

“Lucas, take off my shirt,” Ten rasped. “I want to feel more of your skin against mine.”

Ten lifted his arms as Lucas ripped his T-shirt over his head and repositioned their bodies so Ten lay beneath him, pressing kisses across Ten’s torso.

“You know this already because you’ve seen a mirror,” Lucas said, “But you’re very hot.”

Ten flushed crimson. “Shut up.”

“Make me,” Lucas retorted and Ten cringed at the theatricality of it as he brought his lips to Lucas’s.

When they drew apart Lucas stroked his hand through Ten’s hair, slowly. “Can we cuddle now?”

“Do you have to ask?” Ten giggled as he wrapped his limbs around Lucas as tightly as he could. “Warm me up, I’m getting cold!”

“Get under the covers, dumbass.” Lucas tugged the blankets over them and Ten settled in the crook of his neck.

“Speaking of asses, may I please hold yours?” Ten requested.

Artificially raising his voice an octave Lucas said, “‘Do you have to ask?’”

“I don’t sound like that!” Ten cried, tapping one side of Lucas’s – very nice – butt.

“Yes, you do. I like your voice. I want you to sing to me.”

“Sing? How do you even know if I can sing?”

“You can,” Lucas responded with confidence. “I hear you in the shower.” Welp, that’s what you get for treating bath time like an audition for _Produce 101_.

“I surrender. I’ll sing for you but not right now. Right now, I want to take a nap because my system has suffered a great shock.”

Lucas seemed satisfied. “Okay, let me just close the blinds.” He quickly adjusted the lighting in the room and rejoined Ten in the bed, enveloping him once more.

“Can I tell you something?” Lucas whispered.

“Yes.”

“I like you.”

“I already know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just want to let everyone know, i LOVE you and i get so much joy from reading your comments!!!!!! sending good vibes your way <3


	17. With You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Probably the fluffiest thing I've ever written?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> everyone's love for the confession scene make me feel fucking Ecstatic. y'all, i was so nervous about it!!!!! 😅😅😅

Ten woke up in his own bed. The night before he and Lucas had jointly decided it would be better for them to sleep separately so that they would, you know, _actually_ sleep. For a while he didn’t move, remaining under the covers and reviewing everything that had transpired in vivid technicolor in his brain. Some unruly segment of his self was insisting that if he didn’t continually revisit the memories, they would turn out to be nothing but dreams.

“It’s real, it’s real, it’s real,” he chanted under his breath, eyes screwed tightly shut.

“What’s real?” Lucas asked, having entered Ten’s room with previously unseen calm.

Ten’s eyes flew open. “You.”

“I’m very real,” Lucas confirmed, covering Ten with his body as if to add credibility to his statement.

“Fuck, you’re very heavy, too.” Ten was having trouble pulling air into his chest crushed as he was beneath Lucas’s much larger form.

“It’s all this muscle,” Lucas flexed his abdominal muscles against Ten, earning a scoff and a shove from him.

“Could you be anymore insufferable?”

“Do you really want me to answer that?” Lucas kissed Ten’s bangs and then both of his eyebrows.

Ten made a soft noise of satisfaction at the gesture. “Not particularly.”

Lucas finally took up a more convenient position beside Ten rather than on top of him. “What’re you doing today?”

“Well, since it’s a Friday, I have class. But first I have to call Tern and Taeyong.”

Lucas features creased with curiosity, “Why?”

“If they find out that I didn’t immediately tell them about us they will team up to bring an end to my sorry existence.”

Brightening, Lucas drew himself flush to Ten. “Awwwww, you can’t wait to tell your sister and your best friend that the boy you like likes you back!”

“Who says I like you?” Ten said with a healthy dose of very false disgust.

“You. Last night.”

“Really? I don’t remember that,” Ten replied nonchalantly.

“Do you remember this?” Lucas kissed Ten with a ferocity that instantly sent a shot of electricity from his head to his toes. He automatically wrapped his arms around Lucas’s neck and returned the kiss with equal ardor. His cognitive functions began to dim.

When Lucas pulled back, he looked grossly pleased with himself. “I am going to take that as a yes.”

Ten pursed his lips. “It’s definitely not a no.”

Lucas shook his head with unrestrained affection. “I’m going to leave you now so you can call Taeyong and your sister. Don’t forget to tell them that I’m a very good kisser.”

“Can you remind me before you go so that it’s fresh on my mind?” Ten presented his face expectantly.

Lucas gave him the softest kiss on his eyelid and sprinted out of the room as Ten made high-pitched sounds of distress.

Ten would call Tern first because 1) she was his sister, and…there is no 2. Reason number 1 just about sums it up. Taking five deep breaths for strength, Ten pressed Tern’s contact in his FaceTime app.

_To what do I owe this honor?_ Tern looked like she had woken up more than twenty minutes ago.

“Oh, nothing,” Ten said with affected nonchalance.

_Bull. Shit. You never call me first thing in the morning. Did something happen?_

Instead of cooperating as he ought to have, Ten murmured a very coy, “Maybe.”

Tern’s eyes rolled so far back into her head that, for a moment, all Ten could see were the whites of them. _Cut the crap, Ten. This better be good._

“Fine, fine. It’s good. I am going to tell you now, but you have to promise first that you won’t scream because if you do, I will hang up immediately.”

Tern nodded excitedly. _Yup, yup, no screaming. Dish!_

“I have a new boyfriend. He’s very tall, very loud—”

Tern, completely disregarding her earlier commitment, yelled into the phone, _Oh my god, you and Lucas are finally dating?!?!?_

Ten cringed and held his ears, “Yes, we are. Against my better judgment.”

_Shut up. This is amazing. I’m gonna cry. Since when?_ Tern was dancing around her room with neither rhyme nor any particular reason.

“Since yesterday.”

_Eek! Good to see you knew to call me right away. You didn’t tell anyone else first, did you?_ Tern returned to the camera in order to give Ten a very threatening look.

“No. You’re the first. I mean, technically we told Mark and Donghyuck first, but it was hard not to.”

_I can forgive that._ Tern ate from a yoghurt cup thoughtfully. _Your apartment will be a whole ass love shack now. Remind me never to visit._

“Gladly,” Ten snapped back. “Anyway, I know you’re busy, so I just wanted to tell you that, but I’ll let you go now.”

_Wow, marriage has made you so considerate!_ Tern said with mock surprise.

“Yes, my eighteen-hour marriage has changed me _so much._ Bye, bitch.”

Tern grinned. _Bye-bye, bottom._

Taken aback, Ten immediately retorted, “Bottom? Who says I’m a bottom?”

But Tern had already hung up. Fucking typical.

Next stop: Taeyong. Should be…interesting. Ten couldn’t decide if Taeyong would be sweet and supportive or clown the shit out of him for “taking so long.” Probably would be a bit of both.

“Hi, Tae,” Ten greeted, trying to keep his voice level.

_You and Lucas are thing now, aren’t you?_ Taeyong’s confidence seemed to have gained the ability to ride radio waves.

“What the fuck? How did you know?”

Taeyong chuckled. _Because I know you. But also, Donghyuck sent me a cryptic message this morning. Something along the lines of Dispatch reveal dropping at 11 am._

“You call that cryptic? I call that obvious as fuck. When I find Donghyuck, it’s on sight. I swear.”

Belly laughing now, Taeyong urged, _No, no. Let him be. He’s happy for you. So am I! Jaehyun will be too. I’ll tell him when he gets back from the gym. But tell me, how do you feel?_

Ten felt himself blushing at what he was about to say, “I am on cloud fucking nine. I’m stupid happy. It’s disgusting.”

_I want to come over so I can hug you guys and cook you something to celebrate._

“Please do, I would love that,” Ten’s cheeks were beginning to hurt. “There’s, uh, just one little hiccup though.”

_Oh?_ Taeyong’s transition to concern was immediate. _Do you want to talk about it?_

“Yeah, I guess,” Ten sighed. “It’s Johnny. I know we never really seriously dated but it still feels like there’s some, I don’t know, ‘unfinished business’ there. And I think it would be shitty to just ghost him and then he finds out I’m with Lucas. I value our friendship, so I feel like I owe him an explanation even if it means that I seem like I read too much into the situation.”

_Yes. I agree with you on all of that. I would do it sooner rather than later mostly because it’ll make things better for you. If you want, I can come sit with you when you make the call – if you’re okay with that?_ Here was the promised sweetness and support!

“I’m very okay with that. This is about to be awkward as shit. You know I adore you, right?”

_I do._ Taeyong made rather unsavory kissing sounds. _You just let me know when you’re ready._

“So, never? Kidding. Mostly…”

_Oh, please. If you keep being all wishy-washy, I’ll rescind my offer._ And there’s the clowning. The circle is complete.

“You do that, and I’ll start writing applications for a new best friend,” Ten replied.

Taeyong snorted. _I’m going to poison your food later._

“Bitch, I welcome death.” They both began laughing, the ridiculousness of their behavior finally dawning on them.

_Thank you for telling me, Tennie. I’m so happy for you and Lucas. Go say hi to him for me and I’ll see you babies later, okay?_

“Mhmm, see you then. Love you!”

_Love you too._

\---

As expected, Friday night was a fawning fest featuring Mark, Donghyuck, Taeyong and Jaehyun with Ten and Lucas as the only partially unwilling subjects. By the time Ten was in bed, with Lucas, the fluffiness factor was at a record high. Though he knew it was ephemeral, Ten cherished the overwhelming feeling that nothing could go wrong.

The passage of several hours did nothing to dampen that weightlessness. In the morning, Lucas drew him forth from slumber in an uncharacteristically tender fashion, whispering Ten’s name repeatedly in his ear.

“Are you awake? Just nod if you are, but don’t open your eyes,” Lucas said, voice still rough with sleep.

Ten inclined his head once. “Do you have a surprise for me?”

Lucas pulled back the covers as he spoke, “Yes, I do. You must get up to see it though. Just stand and I’ll guide you.”

“How do I know I’m not about to be pranked in some despicable manner?” Ten asked, unmoving.

“You trust me so little?”

“As if I don’t have a measure of reason.” Ten stretched out his arms, seeking the warmth of Lucas’s body.

“I can’t really deny that, but I promise this time I’m not about to dump ice cold water or make you eat a shoe,” Lucas reassured him as he captured Ten’s arms and lifted him out of the bed.

“You’ve considered doing that to me?” Ten fought to keep his eyes closed even though he very much wished to give Lucas a hugely disapproving look.

“I never said that, now can you stop squirming? You’re like a fucking eel.”

Settling onto his feet, Ten acquiesced. “Do your worst.”

Lucas placed his hands on each of Ten’s shoulders and steered him in the direction of what Ten knew to be the window. Once his toes brushed the wall, Lucas halted their progress.

“Okay, open your eyes.”

Snow coated every surface visible and big, fat flakes continued to fall. The sky was the kind of blue that evokes physical pain and an irresistible desire to stare directly into the sun. Ten laid his right hand over Lucas’s where it still clutched his bicep.

“It snowed!” he exclaimed with unchecked glee.

Lucas rested his head on Ten’s shoulder and wrapped him in a suffocating hug. “It did and now we’re gonna go play in it. Breakfast first though. Can you make me something?”

“Hey, I’m your boyfriend not your personal chef,” Ten said, dismayed.

“They’re not the same thing?” Lucas parried smoothly when Ten spun and took a swing at him.

“I am making egg drop soup and you’re not getting any.” Ten skipped into the bathroom to wash his face. Bizarrely, Lucas didn’t follow him.

Upon entering the kitchen and catching sight of him, Ten understood why.

“What do you have behind your back?”

“Nothing.” The contortions of Lucas’s face looked dangerously close to becoming permanent.

“Lucas, I am giving you three seconds starting now. 1, 2—”

Turning slowly, Lucas revealed a carton of eggs.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Ten facepalmed and groaned simultaneously.

“You can’t make egg drop soup if you don’t have any eggs!” Lucas held the carton high above his head, grinning.

“God, give me the strength not to kill this man,” Ten prayed as he searched for the other ingredients.

“If you kill me, all the eggs will break.”

“Worth it,” Ten thought about climbing Lucas’s body like a tree to retrieve the eggs but that would require effort. “Give me the eggs or I will never kiss you again.”

“That’s not fair! You cannot use your power so tyrannically,” Lucas protested, slowly lowering his arms.

“I can and I will,” Ten snatched the carton. “Thank you for behaving. Finally.”

“I’m gonna remember this foul play,” Lucas said petulantly.

“You can’t even remember the password to your phone. If there was no fingerprint reader, you’d be fucking screwed. So, I’m not exactly worried,” Ten replied as he stirred the broth and turned on the stove.

“Point taken.” Lucas shrugged and began making himself useful, setting out bowls and boiling the kettle.

After consuming the entire pot of soup between them and hazardously attending to the dishes, Lucas carried Ten to his bedroom and tossed him onto the bed.

“Outside now?”

“Yeah. We have to find suitable attire though. Which, given the state of your closet, might take a minute.” Ten gestured at Lucas’s assortment of clothing, not a single item of which was on one of the many hangers lined up in the closet.

“I know exactly where my coat is. Watch,” Lucas began firing shirts, pants, and sweatshirts around the room. Within moments his ferocious digging yielded a large grey parka. “Told you!”

“I am mildly impressed. Let me go get mine. Find yourself a hat while I’m gone.”

“You’re so bossy,” Lucas grouched as he obeyed.

“I just don’t want you to be cold, dumbass.” Ten hurried to his room as quickly as possible in order to avoid the inevitable outpouring of affection from Lucas his statement would provoke.

Sufficiently swaddled in coats, hats, scarves, mittens, and boots, the two of them reunited at the door and made their much-anticipated foray into the snowy outdoors. On the sidewalk, Lucas intertwined their hands and placed them in his coat pocket.

Looking down at Ten, he asked, “Park?”

Ten nodded, trying not to smile at the incomparable adorableness of Lucas’s previous gesture. As they walked, he kept catching the taller man tossing glances at him, his doe eyes glimmering.

“Look where you’re going.”

“But I want to look at you,” Lucas replied.

Ten snorted, “You can barely even see me under all of this.”

“You look like a dumpling.” Lucas laughed when Ten glared at him in response. “Now you’re an angry dumpling.”

“Shut up.”

In minutes, the park came into view: blanketed in snow and screaming children. An increasingly desperate bout of scouting yielded a clear patch which Lucas sat down in immediately. Disinterested in a cold, wet butt, Ten dropped onto his lap.

“Can we make snow-people?” Lucas began forming a snowball with one hand.

“Why else would we be here?” Ten reached into the inner pocket of his coat to retrieve a plastic bag containing orange carrots. “I came prepared.”

“You brought a snack?” Lucas clawed at the baggie which Ten promptly snatched away.

“Don’t even. You know they are for the noses, fool.”

Ten clumped snow together and rolled it, gradually building a ball large enough for the base. Following suit, Lucas finished his own ball and placed it on top of Ten’s.

“Okay, which of us is making the head?” Ten inquired as Lucas imprinted sloppy angels in the snow.

Lucas sat up and tilted his own head. “Isn’t the one I just made the head?”

“A snowperson has a three-part body. Don’t you know anything?”

“But I like it like this. It’s so cute!” Lucas was hugging the snowperson enthusiastically enough to jeopardize its safety.

Ten tapped his head. “If you keep strangling it like that, there won’t be _any_ of it left.”

Lucas stood, his arms encircling Ten instead. “Give me the nose.”

“No fucking way. I don’t trust you not to smash the face. Or worse, eat the goddamn carrot.”

Wiggling out of Lucas’s clutches, Ten carefully attached the nose and a series of small pebbles as the mouth and eyes. The resultant squat snowperson was adorable. So much so that Ten thought it was a pity they couldn’t take it home.

As Ten snapped far too many photos of their creation, Lucas posed and pulled the most ridiculous (and frankly, unattractive) facial expressions.

“It needs a name,” Lucas declared, his face having resumed its normal configuration.

“We’re calling it Sunny,” Ten replied instantly.

“Sunny? Isn’t kind of fucked up since sun will melt it?” Lucas appeared far more concerned than was strictly necessary.

“Yeah, that’s the point. Welcome to my humor.”

“We’re making another one and this time, _I’m_ naming it because I’m not a sick fuck.”

Ten raised his eyebrows. “Watch your mouth.”

“Why don’t you watch it for me?” Lucas retorted right before he kissed Ten’s lips, rosy with the cold, almost hard enough to bruise.

Catching his breath, Ten said, “I want you to do that again. But we might get kicked out of the park.”

Lucas held Ten’s face with one gloved hand as he whispered, “When we get home, I will kiss you again. And again. And again. Okay?”

The redness that spread across Ten’s cheeks and nose could not be chalked up to the cold. I mean, you could try to make that argument, but it would hold less water than sieve. Ten was flustered. Thoroughly. _The power this man holds._

“Build your fucking snowperson.”

“Okay!” The gods did know mercy.

Lucas’s snowperson was tiny. Hardly even half the size of Sunny. Ten cooed at and photographed it until Lucas decided to share his choice of name.

“Ten, meet Ten.”

Ten froze. “Excuse me what?”

“Ten is its name. It’s so little so it’s perfect,” Lucas replied, already buckling over with laughter.

“I hate you! I hope you get hypothermia and die,” Ten screeched, grabbing a handful of snow and chucking it right in Lucas’s face.

The other man reacted in seconds. With speed and obvious skill, he made small, hard snowballs and steadily pelted Ten with them. Ten scurried away, slowed by his boots, while trying to collect snow in order to fight back. Which was basically fruitless.

“You started a war with the wrong guy,” Lucas bellowed between attacks. “This is a fight to the death.”

“I already feel like I’m dying,” Ten panted, finally landing a hit on his boyfriend.

“You can surrender anytime.”

“Never.” Ten dodged two snowballs that Lucas had thrown simultaneously, sprinting for cover behind a gnarled oak tree.

“You can run, but you can’t hide.” Lucas appeared to Ten’s left and tackled him to the ground, attempting to shove snow down his shirt as he did so.

“If you’re gonna play dirty so am I.” Ten fastened his legs around Lucas’s waist, crashing their hips together which was painful but worth it.

Lucas stopped moving immediately, his eyes locking onto Ten’s. Ten smiled at him. Not so innocently. Very, very un-innocently.

“Would you like to surrender?” he asked, his voice like silk.

Ten watched Lucas’s Adam’s apple bob as he gulped. “Yes.”

“Good. Let’s go home.” Ten stood. “Please carry me.” He received a very nasty look for his request, but Lucas picked him up anyway.

“You will rue this day,” Lucas promised as they left the park.

Ten hummed, “Mhmm, perhaps I will. But right now, you’re carrying me bridal style though a winter wonderland so, for the time being, I’m winning.”

“I could always just drop you.” Lucas lowered his arms rapidly to demonstrate and Ten yelped.

“Drop me and _you’ll_ rue the day!”

“I’m sure I will, dumpling.” Lucas kissed the top of Ten’s head.

“Stop calling me that!” Ten huffed.

“Request denied.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SHINEEEEE IS BACKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK! minho killed me in the don't call me mv but ONEW BROUGHT ME BACK WITH THOSE VOCALS!!!!!!!


	18. Nectar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ten turns 23.

Tuesday of the following week, Ten knew neither Lucas nor Mark would be home most of the day. It was time to summon Taeyong and the strength to call (ditch 🤡) Johnny. 

**10** | _You free in an hour?_

**Tae** | _yeah. are you gonna call johnny?_

**10** | _I am going to try._

**Tae** | _i can come over now, if you want_

**10** | _I do want._

**Tae** | _be right there!!!!!!_

Ten paced around his room aimlessly as he waited for Taeyong, nearly jumping out of his skin when the doorbell rang. He shook himself once before letting his friend in and hugging him for a whole five minutes.

“While I love being squeezed half to death, I feel like you’re stalling,” Taeyong said eventually.

“Do you have to call me out so blatantly?” Ten mumbled, refusing to let Taeyong go despite the other man’s attempts to free himself.

“Yes, I do. Now, let’s go get comfy in your room and get this over with, okay?”

Nodding reluctantly, Ten detached himself from Taeyong and walked with him to the bedroom. They tucked themselves into the bed, and Taeyong held one of Ten’s hands as he used the other to make the call. The dial tone sounded and Taeyong gave Ten his signature smile of warm encouragement.

_Hey, Ten, what’s up?_ Johnny sounded pleased but slightly confused that Ten was calling him.

“Hello, Johnny. I’m good. How are you?” This was already so cringe, please just let Ten just dissolve into nothingness.

_Good, good._ Johnny paused. _Is everything okay? Usually, you just text._

Ten squinted in (mostly mental) pain and Taeyong patted him reassuringly, “Yeah, everything is fine. I just wanted to talk to you about something.”

_Okay. You’re not pregnant, are you?_

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Johnny!” Ten groaned and Taeyong tried very hard to suppress a giggle.

_Sorry, I’m the worst. But also, the best. Duality. Okay, I’ll stop. Go ahead._

Johnny’s ridiculousness left Ten feeling somewhat less awkward. They better remain friends because Johnny lowkey _was_ the best. “Alright, so just bear with me for a second because I might be reading into things too much, but I feel like you and I had something going on. We went out a few times and I won’t even pretend I didn’t flirt with you because I did. But regardless of how you feel about me or what was actually going on I shouldn’t have done that because I like Lucas,” Ten stopped, realizing he was rambling.

_This is adorable. I know you like Lucas. I’ll admit that we had a vibe and I was open to exploring that more but when I saw you two at Lucas’s party, I knew that was something I would be the last person to interrupt._

“Oh my god, I am six different kinds of embarrassed right now,” Ten couldn’t help but laugh. The clownery.

_Don’t be, it’s cool. This kind of shit is messy as hell. But listen, thanks for being so honest with me. Does Lucas know?_

Taeyong snorted, albeit quietly, as Ten responded, “Um, yes, he does. We’re dating.”

_Broooooo!_ Johnny didn’t need to yell into the phone, he really didn’t. _That’s great. I’m happy for y’all. I’m gonna give Lucas shit for stealing you when I see him next but still: yay!_

“Thank you, Johnny. You’re possibly the most respectable person I know.”

_Given your friend group that doesn’t sound like as lofty a compliment as it probably should, but I’ll take it. By the way, tell that bitch ass Mark that if he doesn’t respond to my texts soon, I’m going to beat his ass._

“I would love to deliver that message to him. Would you also like me to give him a little preview of the ass-beating?” Ten was actually _enjoying_ this conversation now.

Laughing, Johnny replied, _By all means. Tell him it’s the free trial. Okay, I gotta go. Again, thank you for talking to me and I’ll see you when I come to put an end to Mark’s career._

“Thank you for putting up with my questionable behavior. Give me a head’s up when you’re coming over, I’ll buy popcorn.”

_LMFAO. Bye, Ten!_

“Bye, Johnny.” Ten hung up and let out a very long breath. “So, that’s done.”

“Good job!” Taeyong beamed, “That went so well."

“Johnny is too good. I think I love him. Platonically, of course.” Ten closed his eyes, “I suddenly feel very light.”

Taeyong snuggled against him, “That would be the relief taking effect. Can you believe we both have boyfriends now?”

Ten nodded, “Entirely. We’re hot as shit.”

“Fuck, you’re right.”

***

“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday, dear Ten, happy birthday to you!” Ten smiled gleefully (and tipsily) as his favorite people sang to him. Well, sort of sang. Donghyuck, despite his impressive vocal capabilities, was really just shrieking.

Jaehyun, Taeyong, Mark, Donghyuck, Tern, and Lucas clapped and hollered as Ten blew out the singe candle propped on the chocolate cake the waiter had set before him.

“Thank you, my dears. I love you all very much. Even if I usually make very serious promises to kill you.”

“Just try to kill me and I’ll kill you back,” Tern snapped as she divided up the cake and handed each eager member of the party their piece. None of the pieces were particularly large – in fact, whoever bought the cake was either broke or stupid.

“Who was on cake duty?” Ten asked. Which was probably rude but what the fuck today was the one day where he could be an asshole with no consequences. Or rather he could ignore the consequences. Though, most times, he did that anyway…

“Me,” Mark replied. “Is it not good?”

Ten shook his head, “It’s delicious. It’s just…diminutive. Lucas could eat the whole thing in one bite.”

“I told Mark to get the bigger one!” Donghyuck shouted. “But he never listens to me.”

“The bigger one had cherries on it. I knew if we gave Ten a cake with fruit on it, he’d drop dead on the spot,” Mark yelled back indignantly.

Donghyuck would not admit defeat with such ease, “We could have picked the cherries off.”

“Right, because a defaced cake would have really been better than a little one,” Jaehyun drawled and Taeyong covered his face while Lucas banged on the table instead of just laughing nonviolently.

“We’re changing the subject before blood is shed,” Tern said with finality. “What did you wish for Ten?”

“He can’t say!” Taeyong spoke before Ten could even formulate his own answer. “Then it won’t come true.”

“Ten doesn’t need to wish for anything, he already has me,” Lucas remarked so cockily that Ten had no choice but to pinch his ear. Lightly, because – in all honesty – Lucas wasn’t far wrong.

“Ew,” Donghyuck said, pretending to regurgitate.

“Ew?” Taeyong mimicked in disbelief. “Hypocrisy’s new poster boy is Lee Donghyuck.”

Donghyuck turned on him in seconds, “And what do you mean by that Lee Taeyong?”

Mark, aka the World’s Most Exhausted Boyfriend, intervened, “He means you say the exact same shit, Hyuck!”

“Was I talking to you, Canada?” Donghyuck responded with just enough drama to send every other person present (except Mark, he was too busy looking very put out) into fits of hysterics.

“I think you four should open up your apartment as a performance art space and charge the public to watch you interact with one another,” Tern suggested, having recovered first.

Ten lobbed a rolled-up napkin at his sister, “Tern, for the love of god, you can’t say things like that aloud. Lucas and Donghyuck are sufficiently self-absorbed and misguided to take you seriously.” 

Jaehyun, in the process of settling the bill with Taeyong, paused to object, “You can’t monetize this circus. I like enjoying it for free.”

“Now, we’re definitely doing it. Just so I can make you pay extra.” As if his words weren’t enough, Donghyuck added insult to injury by presenting his tongue for Jaehyun’s viewing pleasure. Someone must have kicked him under the table because he started sobbing obnoxiously and Ten could tell things were about to get out of hand again. Not that they’d ever been _in_ hand to begin with.

No time was required for gifts because Ten, who owned far too many things already, had requested that everyone donate as much money as they could to a local mutual aid organization for unhoused queer kids. So, since the cheque was taken care of and every morsel of food had been consumed (Lucas had systematically cleaned everyone else’s plates), they could, technically, leave.

“My loves,” Ten stood so everyone would be forced to pay attention to him. “Let us depart.”

Only magic could account for the way everyone rose from the table, donned their coats, and filed out of the restaurant without initiating a small-scale war. Ten would be forever grateful. He was also feeling some type of way as he surveyed the group hovering around him on the sidewalk while they waited for Tern’s Lyft. He adored each and every one of them far too fucking much.

His sister embraced him fiercely and he was suddenly glad they had decided to attend the same university: allowing them to be together frequently; allowing her to be here today.

“Goodbye, child. Text me when you reach home, okay?” Ten’s hold on Tern slackened.

Stepping back, Tern nodded as she replied, “Bye-bye, Tennie. Happy birthday!” Her ride pulled up before them and she jumped in while everybody else shouted enthused farewells after her.

The three couples (oh my god, what an endearing yet cringeworthy image) by some sort of mutual understanding began heading in the direction of the subway. Mark and Donghyuck, who were racing one another, led the way, with Jaehyun and Taeyong following much more slowly behind them, glued to one another as always. Ten and Lucas brought up the rear, their linked hands swinging back and forth with each step.

Lucas reminisced passionately about something he’d eaten for dinner while Ten gazed at him in silence, still barely able to fathom that this man was his boyfriend. Not that Ten believed Lucas was too good for him – he would never date someone he felt that way about – but rather he marveled that Lucas had landed in his life and not someone else’s. The sheer luck of it seemed too good to be true.

In the subway, crowded with late evening travelers, Lucas shielded Ten’s smaller body with his own. Mark and Donghyuck argued in loud whispers, Donghyuck wanted to do a one-man flash-mob and Mark was trying to convince him out of it. As with all their altercations, every other sentence was punctuated by a jab in the ribs or a light shove.

Someone poked Ten’s hip and, when he looked down, Taeyong’s palm, identifiable by his bejeweled fingers, faced him welcomingly. Ten took Taeyong’s hand and raised his head, finding his friend smiling at him from where he was peering over Jaehyun’s shoulder. They exchanged comical facial expressions until the train reached Taeyong and Jaehyun’s stop.

Ten gave them both swift hugs and kisses, receiving further birthday wishes, so the duo – who continued to be one of the hottest couples Ten had ever laid eyes on – could hop off before the doors closed. At their own stop, which came up blessedly fast, Lucas and Ten dragged Mark and Donghyuck, shockingly still engaged in battle, out of the subway car and all the way aboveground.

“I feel like your parents owe me a small fortune for babysitting you for this long,” Ten held open the front door of their building so Lucas could thrust the babies in question through it.

“If Hyuck didn’t insist on being so fucking weird all the time, this wouldn’t even be happening,” Mark protested, arms crossed peevishly.

“This wouldn’t be happening if you would just let me live out my dreams,” Donghyuck responded, sticking out a foot to trip his boyfriend. Though he should have expected it, Mark clearly did not and ended up almost falling on his face. Only Lucas’s agility saved him.

Mark, livid now, pushed Donghyuck into the wall, “You’re sleeping on the floor.”

Donghyuck smirked at him, “You say that now. But as soon as you’re lying in bed without me, you’ll be begging me to come join you.”

“Break it up, break it up,” Lucas lifted Mark off Donghyuck and gestured for him to get a move on, holding Donghyuck back until Mark had entered the apartment. “Okay, now you can go, Hyuckie.”

Ten, perversely entertained watching Lucas wrangle the demon children, couldn’t help but laugh. He poured himself a glass of water in the kitchen and walked to his room. Lucas passed him in the hall, tapping Ten’s ass as he went by, and continued to his own room. Ten would spend the night in his own bed and he figured Lucas would seek him out once he had changed and washed up.

As he readied himself for bed, Ten reflected on the day. He was content – happy, even – with how it had gone. He’d slept in, eaten well, seen his friends, seen his sister, danced, talked to his parents, pondered an unfavorable end for his two more annoying roommates. So far, he didn’t hate 23. Although, it did have 364 more days to change his mind.

Getting comfortable amongst his blankets and plethora of pillows, Ten heard the doorknob turn and the mechanism click as it opened.

“Lucas?”

“Hi,” clothed in a dark blue robe, Lucas stepped into the room; his demeanor almost sheepish as he shut the door.

“You look like you have something to say,” Ten kept his tone light in an effort to reassure him.

“I do.” Straightening, Lucas proceeded, “I know you didn’t want any gifts for your birthday, so I didn’t buy you anything. But I still want to give you something.”

Inexplicably, the surface of Ten’s skin began to tingle as though someone were breathing very softly across his entire body, “Go on.”

“I will give you me,” as he spoke, Lucas undid the belt holding his robe together and let the garment slip onto the floor. He was wearing _absolutely nothing_ underneath it.

Ten spent several seconds just staring before he could trust his mouth to produce anything other than garbled sounds.

“Come here,” Ten could hear his voice falling an octave. In two lengthy strides, Lucas stood before him, motionless. Poised. 

“What would you like me to do now?” Lucas seemed to have gained confidence despite his nakedness. 

“I want you to get onto this bed and then I want you to fuck me.”

Lucas grinned, “I thought you’d never ask.” Pulling back the covers, he moved Ten towards the center of the bed and lay down beside him.

Ten kissed Lucas’s shoulder and then the dip where his neck and collarbone met. Lucas undid the first button on Ten’s top before pausing.

“You’re sure you’re okay with this, right? I know it’s early since, you know, we’ve only been together for a few weeks.”

Ten nodded, smiling, “Yes, Lucas, I want this.” Then, more teasingly, “Finish what you’ve started.”

Lucas didn’t have to be told twice. He stripped Ten in seconds yet treated each of his limbs as though they were made of glass.

“You don’t have to be so gentle,” Ten told him. “I am not going to break.”

Lucas tossed Ten’s pajamas behind him, “Is that a challenge?”

Coyly, Ten replied, “It could be.”

Pinning both of Ten’s arms over his head with one hand, Lucas bit down on the soft skin below Ten’s jaw, murmuring, “Better?”

“Much.”

Lucas made love with both intensity and tenderness. He cared as much for Ten’s pleasure as his own. Perhaps more. Ten had had good sex before, but the reciprocity he experienced with Lucas was novel. Nothing was awkward because they were quick to laugh. Ten felt no hesitancy sharing his desires with Lucas and Lucas imparted his with equal ease. Months of friendship had fostered a physical and emotional familiarity that fucking could only improve.

Ten thought of the first day they’d met as Lucas collapsed beside him, chest heaving. Somehow, it felt like so long ago and yet as though it were only yesterday. Time really flies when you’re trying extremely hard not to fall for your devastatingly, unfairly gorgeous roommate.

Ten pressed his lips against Lucas’s hairline, tasting salt. Lucas placed his hand above Ten’s navel and whispered, “Happy birthday.”

“Thank you,” Ten traced the contours of his boyfriend’s face. “You’re beautiful.”

Bashful, Lucas blinked, “So are you.”

Ten rolled his eyes and snuggled closer to him, “Tell me something you’ve never told me before.”

Moving his arm so that it fully encircled Ten, Lucas asked, “Do you remember when we were FaceTiming while I was in Hong Kong and I said I dreamed about you?”

“Actually, yes. We went for a picnic,” Ten congratulated his memory for not letting him down. For once.

“Yeah, exactly. Except I didn’t tell you everything, I left something out. The picnic was not just any picnic. It was a date. And at the end, we kissed. That’s when I woke up. I couldn’t tell you that though. Obviously.”

Ten peppered Lucas’s cheeks with kisses, giggling, “No wonder you looked like a deer moments from being hit by a car when I made you elaborate. You’re so cute.” Ten replaced kisses with feather-light pinches.

“Stop, stop,” Lucas pushed Ten’s hands away, albeit halfheartedly. “It’s your turn.”

Ten acquiesced, “During the summer, when you were away all day at work, I would steal one of your T-shirts and wear it until like half an hour before I knew you’d be home. Then I’d change back into my own clothes.”

“Oh my god,” Lucas exclaimed, visibly delighted. “I was only gone a few hours and yet you missed me that much. You’ve really been living like this?”

Ten flipped, indignantly presenting Lucas with his back, “Why do you always make me want to take all my words and stuff them directly back into my mouth?”

Drawing Ten towards him, Lucas kissed his neck and shoulder blades, “I can think of something else I’d like you to put in your mouth.”

Ten groaned, “Lucas, I hate every atom in your body.”

“The way you were writhing under me earlier would suggest otherwise.” Ten had a good mind to slap the look of conceited satisfaction off Lucas’s face. But he wasn’t in the business of vandalizing art. _Did I really just think that thought? Dopamine is clouding my brain. One fuck and you cease to function? Pathetic, Ten, fucking pathetic._

“Just for that, I’m topping next time.”

Lucas didn’t miss a beat, “I can’t wait.”

“Oh, so you are a switch,” Ten clapped. “Today just keeps getting better and better.”

“I’m anything you want me to be,” Lucas said and Ten elbowed him.

“Shut up, you fool.”

“Only if you turn around.” Begrudgingly, Ten obliged, which was worth it because Lucas was beaming at him. Again. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Ten did not resist the urge that arose in him to caress the lines of Lucas’s cheekbones, the skin smooth under the tips of his fingers.

“Ten?” Lucas breathed, barely audible.

“Yes?” Ten matched his volume instinctively.

“When we’re alone, will you call me Yukhei?” Ten could feel the heat of Lucas’s cheek where his hand still rested. He smiled, slowly. Warmly.

“Of course.” A moment passed, “ _Yukhei_.”

“Oh god, say it again,” Lucas said with more raw vulnerability than Ten had ever seen him display before.

“Yukhei, Yukhei, Yukhei,” Ten repeated, drawing the name out more and more each time. As he spoke, his hand traced along Lucas’s neck and chest, settling at the curve of his hip.

“Th-this is very hot,” Lucas stuttered. “ _You’re_ very hot.”

Ten giggled, pulling Lucas into a long, languid kiss, “Flustered is a good look on you.”

“Are you quoting me to myself?” Lucas asked, affronted.

Ten shrugged, all mischief. In a reversal of the norm, it was Lucas’s turn to roll his eyes. He flicked Ten’s forehead gently before reaching across him to switch off the light.

“I can’t wait to wake up with you tomorrow,” he said as he lay back against the pillows again.

“It’s not like you’ve never done so before,” Ten placed his head on Lucas’s chest and the other man wrapped an arm around him, securing Ten to his side.

“Yeah, but it’s different this time. More romantic.”

“Oh, because we fucked?” Ten snorted at the huff of dismay Lucas immediately produced.

“Do you have to say it like that? What a little mood killer you are.” Ten wriggled as Lucas began poking him repetitively.

“Sorry that I wasn’t aware I was dating a man with Victorian sensibilities. _Prude,_ ” the last word warranted a particularly aggressive jab and Ten yelped, quickly covering his mouth to stifle the sound. He absolutely did _not_ want to deal with the inevitable chastisement from Donghyuck if he heard it. Of course, Donghyuck didn’t have a leg to stand on but he rarely needed one.

“You’re a demon, you know that?” Lucas hissed, gripping Ten’s waist.

“Maybe, but at least I’m a cute demon.”

Laughing now, Lucas responded, “While that might be the case, it doesn’t negate the fact that you _are_ a demon.”

“All I’m hearing is that you have a thing for demons,” Ten guided Lucas’s hands so they were holding his butt which seemed to surprise Lucas for about three seconds until he rebalanced and,,,squeezed. _Great minds._

“No, I just have a thing for one demon.”

“A cute one.”

“This conversation is so circular; can we please just sleep?” Lucas sounded as exhausted as he was entertained.

“Yes. But I want to be the big spoon. Roll over,” Ten emphasized his request by pushing at Lucas’s shoulder.

“Seriously?” When Ten gave no indication of letting up, Lucas relented and Ten latched onto his back. “I can’t tell if you’re a demon or a koala.”

“Can’t I be both?”

“That’s terrifying but, yes.” Lucas sighed, contentedly, “Good night, Ten.”

Pressing one final kiss to the base of his boyfriend’s hair, Ten replied, “Good night, Yukhei.”

***

Ten woke up before Lucas. Which had never happened before. Either Lucas awakened and departed civilly hours before Ten or he wrenched Ten forth from sleep in some heinous and deafening manner. But today he was still out cold, eyelashes flared across his cheekbones.

Carefully, Ten shifted to allow himself a fuller view of the man snoring quietly beside him. The morning sun seeping through the curtains played over his features, illuminating the honeyed quality of his skin. Ten had seldom felt breathless just from _looking_.

The serenity of a slumbering Lucas seemed especially surreal when juxtaposed with the vivacity of his waking self. Ten wished to draw him. Like this but also mid laugh, head thrown back in hilarity. He wanted to fill the walls of his room with sketches of Lucas.

“You’re staring,” Lucas’s eyelids didn’t even flutter as he spoke.

“How could you possibly know that?”

Lucas chuckled, “You’re not denying it, are you?”

“I might have been looking,” Ten disclosed. “Briefly.”

“Right,” Lucas remained anything but convinced.

“Could you at least _try_ to sound like you believe me?”

Lucas opened his eyes and met Ten’s, “No.”

Ten kicked Lucas’s shin under the covers, “I preferred you when you were unconscious.”

“Checks out for a necrophile,” Lucas quipped, which necessitated another kick.

Groaning with feigned disgust, Ten forced himself up and out of the bed. Though he would have liked to stay, entwined with Lucas, for much longer, he had a mock interview in about an hour.

“No morning sex?” Lucas was still in the bed.

“Don’t tempt me, Yukhei,” Ten smiled at Lucas’s sharp intake of breath.

Hands clutched at Ten’s thighs, “Now you have to at least kiss me.” 

“Where?” Lucas pointed at the side of his neck and Ten lowered his head, his lips brushing swiftly against Lucas’s jugular.

“I want to kiss you again,” Ten drew back slowly. “But if I do, I won’t be able to stop.”

Instead of issuing some snide retort, Lucas blushed. The sight, so rare, was terribly endearing. Endearing enough to have Ten contemplating the consequences of cancelling his appointment an hour out.

Lucas, who really was a good boyfriend, saved him, “Ten, go get ready.”

Ten, dragged back to sanity, did as he was told, but not before declaring, “I don’t have to be up early tomorrow.”

Lithely leaving the bed, the taller man smirked, “I hope you mean that as a promise.”

Rather than replying, Ten watched Lucas’s taught figure as he moved, almost thankful as he donned his discarded robe. Ten wondered if he’d be able to focus on anything other than Lucas ever again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i saw this adorable screen capture from wayvision and i swear it could have been taken from the scene in the last chapter when they're at the park!!! [here it is](https://twitter.com/navi10vely/status/1363781114419056643/photo/1) (featuring best boy yangyang)!!


	19. Say It

“Yukhei?” Ten and Lucas sat alone in the kitchen, finishing breakfast.

“Yeah?” Lucas looked up at Ten as he helped himself to a second bowl of cereal.

“We should do something today,” Ten suggested, washing his dishes.

“You say ‘something,’ but I know you already have a very specific idea in mind,” Lucas’s voice was laced with unmitigated affection, “Spit it out.”

Ten turned to give Lucas an exaggerated pout, “Will you come with me to the contemporary art museum?”

“Absolutely,” Lucas accompanied his reply with his characteristic hazardously bright smile. “When do we leave?”

Excitement bubbled up in Ten immediately, “Sooner rather than later.”

“Okay, let me get my ass in gear,” Lucas lifted the bowl to his lips and _drank_ down the rest of the cereal before chucking the dishware into the sink – much to Ten’s chagrin – and darting off to his room.

“You have time to wash your fucking dishes!” Ten screamed after him.

“Later!” Which was the exact response Ten expected but nevertheless frustrating. Dating a lackadaisical giraffe was proving to be a taxing experience.

“I’ve been bitten in the ass by that dog before,” Ten mumbled as he cleaned up the sink himself. When he recalled where they were about to go though, his chipper mood returned. Choosing an outfit that would look cute in the inevitable reams of photographs they would take for Instagram, Ten dressed quickly and sought out Lucas. A simple task, as Lucas was in his room singing ‘Payphone’ at the top of his lungs.

“You’re supposed to be getting ready, not auditioning for _American Idol_ ,” Ten had to raise his voice to be heard over Lucas’s…performance.

Pulling a greyscale tie-dye hoodie over his head, Lucas paused to respond, “I can do both.”

“Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should,” Ten straightened out Lucas’s hoodie which was somewhat askew around the shoulders. “You look good.”

“Do I ever look anything else?” Lucas asked, preening shamelessly.

“Yes,” Ten placed a palm under Lucas’s shirt, resting it on his abdomen. “When you’re lying sexed out on my bed, you look fucking radiant.”

Lucas shoved Ten against the wall, sending a shock down Ten’s spine as he kissed him with force. Ten’s body reacted instantly, urging him to become as close to Lucas as physically possible. When he took Lucas’s lower lip between his teeth, the taller man moaned. Loudly.

Wresting control of himself, Ten detached from Lucas, “We are going to end up going nowhere if you keep mauling me.”

“I have no objections to that,” Lucas teased before sobering. “I’m kidding. I know you love the museum. Let’s go.” To demonstrate his sincerity, Lucas gently clasped one of Ten’s hands and tugged him through the apartment. 

The March air was crisp and vaguely aromatic. Ten inhaled deeply, shivering with delight at the sensation of pure freshness. Lucas snorted beside him, causing Ten to whip his head towards him.

“What?” Ten’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.

“Nothing,” Lucas said through a half-formed smile. “You’re just adorable when you’re enjoying being alive.”

“I’m not even sure how to respond to that,” Ten replied, knocked off balance. “I think you should kiss me.”

“I think I should,” Lucas kissed Ten’s forehead thrice, very sweetly, and Ten just barely prevented himself from squealing in delight.

They passed the rest of their journey entranced by one another, speaking not a word but casting sidelong glances to and fro. At the museum they presented their IDs and affixed the tags they received to their tops. After surrendering their shoulder bags for inspection, Ten and Lucas entered the high-ceilinged front hall of the building.

Spinning once to take in his surroundings, Lucas stopped a step from Ten’s face. “Where to?”

“I kind of just want to wander,” Ten admitted, tucking the brochure he’d received at the door into his bag. “Okay?”

“Okay!” Lucas pointed towards an arched passageway to their left, “Let’s go that way first.”

Ten followed Lucas closely, redirecting him into a gallery when they were halfway along the passage. The walls, painted the palest purple, were adorned with enormous canvases. Each was largely devoid of anything save a few complex and chaotic splashes of color embroidered into the fabric.

“They look like thoughts in a waking mind,” Lucas spoke quietly, reverence in both his features and his words.

Ten’s gaze snapped from the canvas before him to the man beside him, “That’s brilliant.”

Lucas frowned, “Really? It just, like, came to me.” He tapered off into nervous laughter, bashfully avoid Ten’s piercing eyes.

“It’s just such a perfect description and it feels so,,,organic,” Ten said. “I can’t look at a painting without immediately analyzing each component and wondering about the medium. I forget to just be with the art before I start reducing it to its parts. I don’t think you have that problem.”

“Nope, I always feel paintings,” Lucas confessed excitedly. “I guess you have the art student’s curse.”

“Exactly,” Ten paused. “Thank you for reminding me how to _live_ with art.”

“Anytime,” Lucas kissed the side of Ten’s head, grinning at him with unabashed adoration. The sheer force of his gaze was enough to increase Ten’s heartrate dramatically. He knew Lucas cared for him deeply, but it was only at moments like these that he was truly hit with the depth of that care. Being a source of joy for Lucas never ceased to be wonderful, if somewhat overwhelming.

The next room they found themselves in contained abstract glassworks of varying sizes. Delicacy hung in the air like a fine vapor. You almost felt like you should breathe more lightly in the gallery. One cough and every piece might shatter.

Lucas, usually clumsy _and_ touchy, grew cautious in all his gestures. As if sensing the need for economy of movement, Lucas took control of his body just like he did when dancing. _If you were looking for art, Ten, you needn’t really have the left the house._

“I’ve always wondered what it was like to blow glass,” Lucas mused. “I’m obviously not very artistic but if I was, I think I’d be a glass blower.”

“We should go to a glass factory. Maybe they can teach you some basics,” Ten squeezed Lucas’s hand encouragingly. “You can even practice by blowing m—”

Horrified, Lucas covered Ten’s entire face with his hand. “Shh, don’t say that in a place like this, Ten!”

Giggling, Ten poked Lucas’s chest, “Since when are you so proper?”

Lucas shrugged, “I don’t know, I just feel like we have to be good here. So, behave, demon.”

“You’re so cute,” Ten gushed. “I’ll be an angel.”

“Let’s not set the bar too high.” Lucas instantly thwarted Ten’s attempt at flicking his eyelid, “Wow, you’ve already failed.”

“You provoked me,” Ten indignantly walked away from his boyfriend and into the adjoining room. Lucas, visibly entertained, followed a few strides behind him, muttering something under his breath about the dangers of significant others who have escaped from Hell.

Ten and Lucas chased one another around the museum for a few more hours, taking photos every 20 feet or so and marveling at each new piece they caught sight of. Ten successfully dissuaded Lucas from purchasing every single stuffed toy at the giftshop, though they did buy a Kandinsky-patterned collar for Taeyong and Jaehyun’s puppy, Ju Ju.

The midafternoon beckoned to them, prompting Lucas to suggest a walk. Ten was more than pleased to acquiesce – some romantic part of him wanted this day to last forever.

“I want to see if there are any cherry trees in bloom yet.”

Ten gestured westward, “There may be some along the river.”

Sure enough, one tree had begun to bloom. Lucas rushed towards it, replete with glee. Embracing the tree’s narrow trunk, he called out to Ten, “Come here, take a picture of me getting love from a tree!”

Halting at a suitable distance, Ten snapped a few shots of Lucas making a multitude of facial expressions, each more ridiculous than the previous one. When he went to slide his cellphone into his pocket, Lucas shook his head and snagged it.

“Now you. Stand under the trees and look pretty,” Lucas directed.

Taking Lucas’s place, Ten posed gracefully. “You say that as though I’m not always pretty.”

Squinting to see the screen in the glaring sun, Lucas grimaced, “I would never commit such blasphemy!”

“Oo, are you saying to deny my beauty is a sin?” Ten teased, repositioning himself so that one low-hanging branch bisected his face.

“Obviously,” Lucas replied evenly, angling the camera and his body to capture Ten at his best.

“You’re such a dedicated devotee, what did I do deserve you?” Ten batted his eyelashes coquettishly.

“Nothing,” Lucas said, mercilessly. “You received me by luck, not merit.”

“Oh, you’re going to pay for that,” Ten hissed, only pseudo-serious.

“If you had any sort of record keeping your hands off me, I might believe you.” Lucas refused to look at Ten after he delivered this verbal blow, quickly outpacing him and then sprinting ahead.

Ten didn’t bother catching up with him. He strode comfortably along the sidewalk, studiously ignoring Lucas who was now making an array of irritating sounds and gesturing madly.

“In public, could you restrain your lunacy?” At last, Ten stood beside Lucas, appraising him critically.

“But, Ten, there’s a goat!”

Ten followed the line of Lucas’s pointing arm to find that there was in fact a person with a goat. On a leash. In broad daylight. Amazing.

“Don’t be rude,” Ten lowered Lucas’s arm. “Would you like to ask if you can pet the goat?”

Lucas was already on the move before Ten had even finished his inquiry. Keeping up with him was becoming a little bit like babysitting a hyperglycemic toddler.

“Excuse me, may I pet your goat?” Lucas asked bluntly, accompanying the request with a grin. One of his particularly disarming ones.

The person, who seemed quite old now that Ten could see them better, cracked a wizened smile. “Yes, you may. This is Zorro.”

“Hi Zorro!” Lucas immediately began lavishing the miniature goat with heaps of affection.

Ten looked at the owner helplessly, “I’m sorry about my boyfriend. He sees an animal and cannot withhold the need to…adore it.”

“That’s perfectly all right; Zorro loves the attention.” A wrinkled hand reached towards Ten, “I’m Misha, by the way.”

Ten took it, shaking once, “I’m Ten, and Goat Boy is Lucas.”

“It’s lovely to meet you both,” Misha replied. “Do you two have any pets of your own?”

Lucas, hands massaging Zorro’s back, responded swiftly, “No. We have an orchid. But no pets.”

“Maybe we should get one,” Ten let slip before fully considering what he was saying.

Misha chuckled, “Perhaps you should. In the meantime, you may play with Zorro any time you wish. We live nearby.”

“So, do we!” Lucas gave Zorro three farewell pats on his head.

“Then we’ll see you around,” Misha tugged on the goat’s leash and the two turned to go. “Goodbye for now.”

Ten found himself waving along with Lucas as Misha and Zorro became smaller and smaller.

“I can’t believe we just met a goat!” Shaking his head, Lucas hugged Ten and the shorter man could feel the vibrations of his overexcited body.

“With you, if something weird can happen, it will happen.”

As they resumed their return to the apartment, Lucas seemed to recall something. “About that pet…”

“No, no, no. I didn’t mean to say that out loud. I was, I don’t know, overcome by Zorro’s cuteness. I have more than enough pets already.”

“I’m not your pet,” Lucas objected. “Though I’d probably look pretty sexy with a leash.”

“Even sexier in a muzzle.”

Exasperated, Lucas ran a hand through his hair, “Fuck you.”

“Please,” Ten couldn’t resist the urge to be an annoying little shit when the opportunity presented itself. Especially, if it made Lucas act like a frustrated suburban housewife.

“Come here,” Lucas manhandled Ten into his grip and effectively dragged him all the way back to the apartment, paying no heed to Ten’s repeated cries of protest.

In his bedroom, Lucas dumped Ten on the bed and proceeded to undress him. When Ten made sounds of confusion, blinking rapidly, Lucas explained himself.

“You said 'please.'”

***

Ten knew a relationship wasn’t a flat curve. He’d expected points of anxiety and minor disagreements and other such interactional clutter, but that didn’t mean that when they eventually arose, he _truly_ accepted them. In fact, depending on the severity of the issue, he would go so far as to actively avoid it. Not because he wished to or because he believed it was a healthy practice, but because he often balked at the psychological strength required to do anything else.

Which is why he still hasn’t told Lucas about his latest struggle with every grad student’s least favorite question, “So, what are you going to do next?” Except, Ten wasn’t so much struggling with the what as the _where_. Thus, Lucas’s involvement. Where Ten chose to live after graduation would directly affect their relationship. Which was terrifying, but also something he really couldn’t keep from Lucas any longer.

Wincing at how suspicious he sounded, Ten readjusted his position on the bench he was sharing with Lucas and asked him, “Can I talk to you about something?”

“Of course!” Lucas’s eyes rounded with curiosity, lacking any trace of the expected wariness. His obvious trust wrenched at the strings of Ten’s erratically beating heart.

“I’m graduating soon,” Ten watched Lucas nod agreeably even though he was perfectly aware of this fact. “And I need to decide what I do after that. What work I do. Um. Where I live…” Ten’s confidence was fading fast as his brain began bombarding him with potential negative outcomes.

“Mhmm, keep going, I’m listening,” Lucas took Ten’s hand in his own, applying just the slightest bit of pressure to the underside of Ten’s wrist.

“Right. Uh, well, I am interested in living here but also in going back to Thailand. I can do illustration work in both places. The process would be different, and the pay, but either way I could have a career I value. In Thailand, I would be with family and back home. Which would be nice. But I’ve also really grown to love living in the US. And, there are people I care about here, too.”

Lucas thought for a moment before replying, “I think I know what you’re saying.”

“What do you mean? What am I saying besides exactly what I’ve said?” Ten tried not to sound as heated as he was beginning to feel.

“Sorry, what I said sounded accusatory,” Lucas admitted, pressing Ten’s hand again. “I just mean that I understand you want to have a conversation about your future and my presence in it. Because if you move, it will be hard for us to stay together.”

Cooled down somewhat by Lucas’s explanation, Ten nodded, “Yes, pretty much. I should have known you’d be better at getting straight to the point than me.” Smiling weakly, Ten squeezed Lucas’s hand back.

“Every once in a while, I’m useful for something,” Lucas joked. “But to return to the topic at hand, I want you to do what’s right for you. My feelings are important – they’re _my_ feelings, after all – but I want you to disregard them for now.”

Ten tried to interrupt, but Lucas shook his head firmly. “As much as I want us to be together for as long as possible, I also know shit happens. One day I might not be a part of your life anymore, but your career and your family will always be. Please do what’s right for yourself when it comes to those things. Either way, I will support you: as a friend or as your boyfriend.”

Ten remained silent for some time, mulling over what Lucas had said. Lucas’s selflessness, his genuine desire that Ten live the best life he could whether or not Lucas himself was included: these revelations weren’t shocking for Ten because he knew Lucas had immense kindness in him. Rather the experience of having so much of that kindness directed so clearly and intensely at him was the cause of Ten’s (temporary) emotional and mental destabilization.

“If you were anybody else, I wouldn’t believe half of what you said,” Ten wasn’t saying what he’d intended but he was no longer in complete control of his mind. Or his mouth. “But you’re you and you mean every word of it.”

“I do,” Lucas punctuated his words with an aggressive nod.

“How?” Ten breathed, voice tinged with awe.

Lucas shrugged, as though the answer was obvious, “I love you.”

He did not break eye contact after he spoke so Ten saw the very instant when he realized he might have fucked up.

“Shit, shit, I didn’t mean to say that. I know it’s too early. I don’t want you to think I’m assuming stuff about our relationship. Let’s just like pretend I didn’t say anything, okay? We’re talking about you, so just forget about this. I’m sorry, Ten, I really—”

Ten withheld the urge to seal Lucas’s mouth with both hands, interrupting him instead, “Yukhei, stop.”

Dismay, even a little hurt, flashed across Lucas’s features. “What-t? Why?”

“Because I love you too, dumbass,” Ten laughingly kissed the expression of realization dawning on his boyfriend’s face.

“Oh.”

“Oh,” Ten parroted.

“Are you clowning me right now?” Sitting up, Lucas retracted his upper body from Ten’s reach.

“Naturally,” Ten replied. “You really think I can’t love and clown you at the same time?”

“Let’s just say I lived in hope,” Lucas was coming closer again, leaning on Ten’s shoulder.

“Your first mistake,” Ten ran his fingers through Lucas’s silky hair, dragging his bangs over his forehead.

“No, my first mistake was taking up Mark’s offer to live with you guys.”

“Take that back this instant,” Ten demanded. “Moving in with us is the best thing you’ve ever done.”

“I agree,” Lucas said with such sincerity that it caught Ten off guard.

“I should be used to it by now but every time you say something in that tone, I forget that breathing is necessary to stay alive.”

Lucas hoisted Ten up off the bench and onto his lap, “I guess I’ll just have to stop talking then. I need you to keep breathing.”

Ten cackled, “You not talking? I don’t think we should be straying so far outside the realm of possibility.”

“This is not the reassurance I expect from a loving boyfriend,” Lucas admonished, wagging a finger at Ten playfully.

“What about this?” Ten brought his lips to Lucas’s, kissing him slowly and reverently.

“I like that, you may always do that,” Lucas beamed at Ten. “You know it’s so strange how much emphasis we put on the words ‘I love you.’”

Ten nodded, “There’s so much build up to it. The confession or whatever. I think we can blame media.”

“Yeah, they’re important words. But they’re just words. Like, I’ve never said it before, but I’ve been loving you all along.” Lucas had rested his chin on the top of Ten’s head, meaning Ten couldn’t see what his face was doing.

“Yukhei?”

“Yes?”

“Can we go home?” Ten lay his fingers against Lucas’s exposed neck. “I want you to make love to me.”

Lucas stood up fluidly, Ten still in his arms, “I am going to carry you. We’ll get there faster.”

“Fuck you! My legs aren’t that short,” Ten tried to get down more out of spite than a genuine desire to do so.

“Yes, they are,” Lucas countered. “And I thought you wanted to me to fuck you? Unless I misunderstood.”

Ten groaned. “Walk faster and talk less.”

“I love you, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> holiest of shits, we have one chapter left!!!!! i am gonna shed a lot of tears!! <3333333


	20. Dream in a Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue.

_One year later._

“Yo, everyone shut up, we have to decide how we’re doing this,” Mark yelled, already tired.

Mercifully, Ten, Lucas, and Donghyuck stopped their arguing and faced him, expectant.

“Okay, so it’s going to be a cat, we know that. But how are we getting said cat? And who’s paying and who’s responsible for what?”

“I agree with Mark,” Ten spoke up. “If we are going to get a pet, we need to be really ready for them. Well, as ready as four fools such as we can be.”

“Wow, really generous of you to include yourself in that number, Ten,” Donghyuck snarked. Two years of friendship had done nothing to dampen the perpetual (mostly fake) tension between them.

“I think we should see if there are any cats at the shelter I worked at, we should split any costs, and we should have a rotation for feeding, baths, and emptying the litterboxes,” Lucas despite his usual ebullient and flighty personality, could be quite methodical when he wished. That is, whenever an animal (or food) was involved.

“Good idea! I hadn’t even thought of the shelter till you mentioned it just now,” Mark replied, nodding appreciatively. “When is everybody available to visit?”

Ten and Donghyuck, who were trading cutting glares back and forth, ceased their ridiculously childish behavior at the question.

Speaking first, Ten suggested, “How about Sunday? Everyone’s usually fairly free then.”

“I like Sunday,” Donghyuck added. “As long as its not too early. I want a kitten, but not enough to get up before eleven.”

“Respectable,” Ten offered as a truce. Which would be short-lived. They always were.

“Sunday’s only three days away!” Lucas’s decibel level was skyrocketing. “ACQUIRE FELINE FRIEND IN 72 HOURS.”

Ten, Donghyuck, and Mark all levelled him with the exact same look of severe disapproval and Lucas grinned, “What?”

“Ten, explain to your boyfriend why living in his presence is a constant source of grief for the rest of us,” Donghyuck whined. Wow, that truce lasted like 47 whole seconds. Record!

“Living with you isn’t much better, Hyuck,” Mark pulled Donghyuck into a hug to thwart his attempts at vengeance.

“We really need to work on this toxicity if we’re going to bring a baby into our home,” Lucas preached which was actually way more annoying than the yelling had been.

“Oh, shut up, Xuxi,” Ten griped.

“That’s precisely what I mean!” Lucas said indignantly. “You can’t teach my kitten to be like _you._ ”

“Your kitten?” Three voices chorused in dismayed unison.

“Oops.” Lucas’s impression of the ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ emoticon was spot fucking on.

“I’m seriously beginning to rethink this whole thing,” Mark murmured, still clinging to a disgruntled Donghyuck.

“I find that phrasing intriguing because it implies that you were even thinking to begin with,” Ten spoke with (entirely unnecessary) acerbity.

“Take that, Markie! You’re dead and buried now,” Donghyuck taunted, unnervingly delighted by Ten’s mistreatment of Mark.

“At this point, I’d be better off dead,” Mark moaned, dragging his sorry self into the kitchen and away from his unrelenting tormentors.

Ten and Donghyuck exchanged a look of sadistic satisfaction and Lucas shook his head.

“You two are evil. Mark and I deserve better.” Standing, Lucas followed Mark. Most likely to acquire food and not to comfort his friend though.

“I have an idea,” Donghyuck declared loudly enough for Mark and Lucas to hear. “Let’s switch boyfriends. I’ve always thought Ten was too hot to be human.”

Ten took Donghyuck’s hand and smiled lasciviously at him, “Why thank you. I like this idea.”

Mark came rushing back into the room, “As much as Donghyuck is the bane of my very existence, I would rather date five of him simultaneously than live in a world where he was dating you.” He glared at Ten, only half joking. Probably.

“Five of me?” Donghyuck mused. “We could do some pretty kinky shit with five of me.”

“You know what? Take him, Ten,” Mark cried, wrapping his arms around Lucas’s waist. “I prefer Lucas after all.”

Lucas ruffled Mark’s hair, “Maybe we could just all date each other.”

Ten snorted, “You would suggest that. It’s also not the worst idea you’ve ever had.”

“Orgy! Orgy!” Donghyuck hollered at the top of his lungs which sent Lucas into hysterics and Mark almost directly to the grave. Ten, as usual, merely rolled his eyes.

***

Saturday morning, in honor of the new addition that would soon live among them, Ten cooked a gourmet breakfast. Gourmet by his standards (and for his skill level), at least.

As he poured the first cup of Belgian waffle mixture into the waffle maker, Lucas entered the kitchen and looped his arms around Ten’s torso.

“Good morning, my love,” he said, voice deep and rough with sleep.

“Good morning, beast,” Ten replied as he turned around so he could give Lucas a quick kiss before gently shrugging out of his embrace. “Can you set the table?”

Thrilled by the request, Lucas beelined to the drawers with tableware and napkins, folding the latter into his beloved boats and carrying them out into the living room. Waiting for a waffle to cook fully, Ten watched him from the doorway, a small smile playing over his face.

“Yukhei, guess what?”

“You’ve finally decided to pierce your belly button like I asked you to?” Lucas was putting the finishing touches on the table as he spoke.

“No, I have not.” Ten sighed, “Why do I bother?”

“I’ll convince you eventually,” Lucas said with a disgusting amount of confidence. “What were you really gonna say?”

Ten retreated into the kitchen. “Suddenly, I don’t want to say it anymore.”

“You were going to tell me you love me, weren’t you?” Leaning against the fridge, Lucas raised his eyebrows in inquiry.

“No.” Ten focused aggressively on removing a waffle from the grill.

“So, that’s a yes.”

“I literally just said ‘no,’” Ten replied with a huff. “Go get Mark and Donghyuck.”

Lucas stood up straight, looking smug as hell. “Sure.”

As he strolled out, he caught Ten’s eye over his shoulder, “I love you more.”

Ten stared blankly back at him, “Please hurry up, the food is getting cold.”

When Ten brought the waffles and maple syrup out to the table, his housemates were arrayed around the table in the midst of a heated argument.

“You can’t name a cat after a different animal!” Mark exclaimed.

“We can make an exception for ‘frog.’ The confusion and then entertainment guests would go through when we called ‘frog’ and a cat appears would be totally worth it,” Donghyuck insisted.

“No, no, no!” Lucas shrieked. “I fucking hate frogs. Anything but frog.”

“That sounds like a you problem,” Donghyuck replied dismissively. “Consider fixing it, because I will not rest until I get my way come hell or high water.”

“You will be resting presently after I have hit you over the head with a baseball bat,” Ten settled into his seat and unfolded a napkin-boat onto his lap.

“Please,” Mark begged dramatically. “Put us all out of our misery.”

“Mark, I’d cut that shit out real fast if I was you,” Donghyuck bit into a Belgian with menace.

Lucas helped himself to several waffles, “Can’t you two just be loving for once?”

"No."

"Why not?"

“Easy: if I’m too nice to Mark, he’ll forget that he’s dating one of the greatest people to ever walk the earth.”

Mark banged his forehead directly into the table at Donghyuck’s words, “Why do I put up with you?”

“Because I am so cute!” Donghyuck’s demeanor transformed in seconds as he reached across the table to squeeze Mark’s cheeks fondly. Mark tried to seem unimpressed, but he failed to fully quench a rueful smile.

“This is already so much better!” Lucas applauded. “Can we go back to the kitten for a moment?”

Ten exhaled loudly, “Really? We had _just_ managed to move past that.”

Undeterred Lucas continued, “I was just gonna say that we should wait until we’ve seen the kitten before we decide on a name.”

“I know I have spent the last year beseeching you to be sensible, but when you actually follow through, I expect to hear Twilight Zone music shortly thereafter.”

“I love your backhanded compliments, Tennie,” Lucas grinned goofily and shoved a whole waffle into his mouth.

Donghyuck released Mark’s face, red and splotchy from way to much pinching, “I can go with that, Lucas, because I know once we meet the cat you all will realize the sheer brilliance of naming it frog.”

“I will say one thing for you, Hyuck,” Ten drawled. “Your tenacity is admirable.”

“That’s a very fancy way of saying ‘annoying as fuck,’” Mark stabbed at his syrup-sodden pancake morosely.

“I know what we need to make everyone feel better since the prospect of a literal kitten doesn’t seem to be doing the trick,” Lucas placed his phone on the table and clicked on a contact Ten couldn’t quite make out.

The person identified solely as 👩🏼🎤 (Ten could see the emoji now that the call screen was displayed) picked up immediately.

 _Lucas!_ Taeyong squealed with such delight that Ten felt vaguely jealous. _How are you?_

“TY, my man, I’m doing fly. How about you?”

 _I just woke up to Ju Ju trying to eat my face, so pretty well_ , Taeyong sounded like an extremely proud and doting parent.

“Hello, bitch,” Ten spoke before Lucas could which required more skill than you’d imagine.

_Tennie! Wait, am I on speakerphone?_

“Yes,” Ten replied. “Say hi to the brats.”

 _Mark and Donghyuck, my dears!_ Taeyong cooed. _Aw, everyone is calling me together this is adorable._

“I can’t believe you needed literally no time to identify ‘the brats’ as me and Hyuck,” Mark complained. “Why is it that I encounter slander wherever I go?”

“I don’t think you want the answer to that,” Donghyuck said, cruelty coloring his voice.

 _Babies, babies, be nice,_ Taeyong’s disciplinary abilities were rather weak due entirely to the fact that he always punctuated reprimands with,,,giggles.

“Today, we’re getting our kitty cat!” Lucas screamed into the phone. May Taeyong’s eardrums rest peacefully.

 _OMG, that’s right! I am so happy for you,_ Taeyong replied. _You have to promise to invite me and Jae over as soon as you come back from the shelter._

“You have to promise to bring alcohol with you,” Ten said. “The harder the better.”

 _Are y’all already driving Ten up the walls?_ Jaehyun entered the chat.

“Cat-boy doesn’t need our help climbing up walls,” Lucas blew Ten, who was currently glowering at him, a series of kisses.

 _I see,_ was Jaehyun’s sarcastic reply. _My condolences for your sanity, Ten._

Ten snorted, “Thanks, Jaehyun. I am going to hang up on you two now so that I can mentally prepare myself for the task before me.”

_Okay, be good, children. We’ll see you later._

“BYE!” Came the collective and deafening farewell. Taeyong, wisely, hung up.

Ten rose from the table and began cleaning up, moaning at the proliferation of maple syrup drips around Lucas’s plates. Lucas loving his food was great and all, but why did he have to go about eating as though he were demolishing a small landmass?

“Mark, where’s the carrier?” Ten called out as he emerged from the kitchen, his hands like pale raisins.

“Right here,” Mark and Donghyuck were seated very nicely on the couch, being miraculously and blessedly civil to one another. They were even holding hands!

“Excellent. Now where’s Lucas?” Ten always, ALWAYS dreaded the potential answers to this question.

“I think he’s in the bathroom,” Mark paused, obviously trying not to laugh, “Braiding his hair.”

“What? Does he even have enough hair for that?” Ten asked. “And why did today have to be the day he decides to perform this particular experiment?”

Mark and Donghyuck shrugged simultaneously, each as baffled as the other. Ten shook his head, massaged his temples, and sighed. Then he headed for the bathroom.

“Yukhei, why?”

Lucas, concentrating fiercely on the French braid he was constructing down the center of his head, replied evenly, “Why not?” 

“Because we’re supposed to be getting our cat and you’re holding us up so that you can beautify yourself unnecessarily!” Ten didn’t stomp one foot, he did not.

“No beautification of me is ever necessary, I do it purely by choice,” Lucas’s fingers were remarkably nimble.

“Well, unchoose it! We need to go. Mark and Hyuck are being oddly docile and I want to take advantage of that while it lasts,” Ten hissed as he took a hair tie from his wrist and secured the bottom of Lucas’s impressively well-made braid. 

Lucas pulled him into an unexpected kiss, pressing his fingers into the back of Ten’s neck. No matter how many times it happened, every time Lucas kissed him Ten felt like someone was setting him on fire. It was extremely wonderful and, at this moment, extremely distracting.

Mark’s frustrated yells from the living room broke them apart eventually. Guiltily, Ten rearranged his hair and splashed water on his face before exiting the bathroom. Lucas followed close behind him, radiating self-satisfaction.

“Lucas, your hair looks dope, man,” Mark said, drawing closer to Lucas to see his braid better.

“Maybe if we get a long-haired cat, y’all can be twins,” Donghyuck joined Mark in gently patting the top of Lucas’s head.

“This picture is delightful,” Ten said. “And it’s making me wonder if we even _need_ a cat when we can just pet Lucas.”

“There’s a flaw in your logic,” Lucas was preening under all the attention, “if everyone pets me, who am I supposed to pet? That’s right, the cat. Thus, we need a cat. QED.”

“Your point is taken, Euclid.” Ten strolled to the door, threw it open, and hoped the other three would follow him.

***

“Hi Ofra!” Lucas’s voice echoed off the walls of the small lobby, resonating painfully in everyone’s ears. But that was Lucas. A fucking bullhorn.

“Luci!” Ofra smiled very brightly and stood up from her desk immediately, rushing to tug Lucas into an enthusiastic hug.

“Luci?” Mark asked just as Ten was about to do the same.

“That’s Ofra’s nickname for me,” Lucas gestured toward his companions. “This is Mark, Donghyuck, and Ten. Ten is my boyfriend and Mark and Donghyuck are our horrible roommates.”

“I’m not technically your roommate,” Donghyuck corrected.

“Oh, yeah?” Ten snapped, “When was the last time you slept at home?”

Donghyuck winced, “Like two months ago…”

Ten smirked, “Exactly.” Turning to Ofra, he finally addressed her (which he felt bad about, but Donghyuck had to be taken care of first), “Hi, we met for like five minutes before so it’s good to see you again.”

“You too, Ten! I had no idea you were Lucas’s boyfriend then, but it totally checks out.”

“Unfortunately, we weren’t together then,” Lucas moved to stand behind Ten so he could encircle him like a sloth.

Ofra brought her palm to her mouth, “Oh my god, my bad.”

“No, don’t apologize,” Mark said. “They were in love with each other but just didn’t know it.” Donghyuck gave his boyfriend a very appreciative up-and-down before high fiving him.

Lucas and Ten stared at Mark with mirrored expressions of exasperation. Ofra, fair play to her, just started fucking cackling.

“Y’all are too much,” she said, wiping away tears. “Are you here to rescue one of our babies?”

“Yes!” Lucas and Donghyuck shrieked simultaneously, annihilating what little remained of Ten’s hearing.

“Dog or cat?” Ofra asked.

“A cat,” Lucas supplied. “I wanted to get a dog but any time I suggested that to Ten he acted as though I was subjecting him to physical pain.”

Ten scoffed, “Oh, please. Ofra, you can’t listen to anything this man says – next to none of it is true.”

“I feel like you’re definitely a cat person though,” Ofra’s eyes glistened with a hint of mirth.

Nodding, Ten met her challenge, “Me wanting a cat rather than a dog is true. Me being so ludicrously dramatic about it? A falsehood.”

Three heads whipped around, and three sets of sardonic eyes settled on his face. Ten had seldom felt such heart-stopping betrayal in his life. Ofra, clearly delighted by what was unfolding before her, was chuckling quietly.

“Please, just show us the goddamn cats,” Ten implored, his ego a little bruised.

“With pleasure!” Spinning on her heel, Ofra led the four of them into the kennels located at the rear of the shelter. As soon they stepped through the door, a distinctly animal smell hit Ten’s nostrils while a ruckus of canine and feline vociferations assailed his ears.

Of course, progress down the alley between the crates was excruciatingly slow because all of them just _had_ to fawn over every single furry inhabitant of the place.

“Listen,” Ofra coaxed. “We can come back to these puppies, okay? I want to show you a kitten at the very end.”

Reluctantly pulling away from the two tiny white Maltese, they hurried after Ofra who had already taken off ahead.

Ofra unlocked a crate and cautiously brought out its resident: a very small and indescribably adorable calico kitten. “This is Lay.”

Ten made no attempt to hold back his ecstasy at the introduction. “Oh my fucking god, this is the cutest kitten I have ever seen. I am in love! LOVE!” Ten squealed, eliciting vaguely surprised glances from Mark and Donghyuck.

“If the hardest sell is sold that easy, then I think the is a fait accompli,” Lucas pronounced, accepting the kitten from Ofra. Lay clambered over his fingers and settled in the center of his palm, purring very faintly.

“I just died,” Donghyuck pretended to collapse into Mark’s arms.

“Get up, Hyuck, I want to pet Lay,” Mark shoved Donghyuck aside and extended a tentative finger towards the kitten. When he rubbed his head gently, Lay screeched and clawed at the air.

Ten turned to Ofra, “Your instincts are impeccable. This kitten is perfect.”

“I do my job well, what can I say?” Ofra flicked her hair over her shoulder and beckoned for Ten to come with her back to the lobby. Mark, Donghyuck, and Lucas remained to care for and weep over Lay.

After sifting through and filling out all the paperwork as well as paying the veterinary fee the shelter charged, Ten returned to the Three Stooges, who’d somehow succeeded in keeping Lay alive and positively beside himself with joy.

“Kitty is all yours!” Ofra announced and everyone whooped. Once the kitten was safely secured in the carrier and they’d all bid their farewells to Ofra, the four of them headed home with Lay letting out little yelps of distress (each of which stabbed Ten in the heart like a sharp needle) the whole way.

At the apartment, there was a mad rush to assemble all kitten-related paraphernalia and hide anything particularly scratchable. When they were finally able to let Lay out into his bed and gather around to admire his undiminishing cuteness, Ten felt thoroughly fatigued.

Head laying in Lucas’s lap, Ten marveled at how miniscule everything about Lay was. His itty-bitty paws, whisper-like whiskers, and glistening black eyes. Looking at him for too long made Ten want to scream. Lucas, one of whose hands was carding through Ten’s hair while the other tickled the kitten, seemed to be equally infatuated, and thus speechless.

Mark and Donghyuck were taking a plethora of photos and applying all sorts of filters and edits to them, giggling at each other loudly with each new creation. Such loving civility between the two was so rare that Ten almost found it of more note than the wonder of Lay’s existence.

Lucas took advantage of their distraction to lean close to Ten, speaking directly into his ear, “Ten, are you happy?”

Ten captured Lucas’s eyes with his own, “I’m probably the happiest I’ve ever been, Yukhei.”

Color suffused Lucas’s beautiful features and he grinned at Ten bashfully, “I think I’m in love with you.”

“Oh, you just realized?” Ten sneered jokingly, pecking Lucas’s lips once. An almost kiss, really.

“Every time I look at you, I fall love with your more,” Lucas intoned and Ten slapped him.

“Shut up, you charlatan, you know how much I hate cheesy shit like that.”

“I do and that is _precisely_ why I keep saying it,” Lucas held Ten’s hands firmly against his sides so he couldn’t lash out in retaliation again.

“God,” Ten griped. “Why do I love you?”

Sobering, Lucas admitted with more seriousness than he’d probably intended, “I ask myself that every day.”

Ten blinked, uncomprehending. “What? You mean, you can’t see why I love you.”

Shrinking in on himself, Lucas’s nodded with trepidation, “Yeah, I guess, sometimes I wonder why you would like me. The loud and obnoxious and flighty boy with like zero manners or social savvy. You’re so refined…I don’t know what I’m saying.”

“No, no, I am glad you told me this, Lucas,” Ten reverting to Lucas’s nickname as he assumed a serious tone. “You can’t think this way. I love you _because_ you’re the loud and obnoxious and flighty boy. I love how frank and full of joy and light you are. And I’m not refined, believe me, just older.” Ten laughed self-deprecatingly. “Please, next time you feel something like this, tell me right away, Xuxi. I don’t want either of us to keep shit suppressed, especially if it’s harming us.”

Lucas hugged Ten very tightly to his chest, “Thank you, Ten. I will, I promise. I wanted to tell you earlier, but I was embarrassed and afraid you might get upset.”

Ten stroked his boyfriend’s cheek, “It’s okay, I understand why you would feel that way. But remember, you can tell me anything. I’m never going to treat you poorly for that. No matter what.” Ten held Lucas’s chin, ensuring that their eye contact was unbroken.

Lucas nodded again, this time with far more confidence. “You can tell me anything too.”

“Mm, can I? You have the biggest mouth this side of the Greenwich Divide.”

“Hey!” Lucas tapped Ten’s nose. “What happened to ‘reciprocity is the primary pillar of a healthy relationship’?”

“As the inventor of the concept, I will take the liberty of ignoring it when convenient,” Ten fluttered his eyelashes for effect.

“You’re like a corrupt politician,” Lucas remarked and Ten growled.

“How dare you compare me to such filth?!”

“Wow, wow, wow,” Mark interrupted. “Keep it down, you two. Do you wanna scare Lay or what?”

Ten couldn’t argue with that so he sealed his mouth and settled for throwing dirty looks at his amused significant other while Donghyuck tried to cajole Lay into curling up in the small of his neck.

“Can you believe we’re parents?” Lucas asked to the group as a whole.

“I think ‘parents’ is far too generous a term,” Ten said. “It would be more accurate to say dubiously competent caretakers.”

Lucas feigned contemplation for a few seconds, “'Parents' just roles off the tongue a little better, don’t you think?”

“Doth thou sass me?” Ten asked in mock horror.

“I doth,” Lucas replied solemnly, before cracking up and giving Ten no choice but to do the same.

“Y’all are fucking weird,” Donghyuck got to his feet, cradled Lay in his arms, and strolled to Mark’s room.

“Where the fuck are you going?” Ten scrambled up as well so he could thwart Donghyuck’s progress. “You can’t hoard the baby like this!”

“I want to take a nap and so does he.”

“He told you that now, did he?” Ten’s eyebrow flew upwards.

“How are you already fighting over the kitten?” Mark lamented. “It’s barely been an hour since we got him.”

Donghyuck and Ten regarded Mark together. “Don’t try to police our dysfunctionality, Mark,” Ten admonished.

Mark threw his hands up in defeat and looked over at Lucas who shrugged in response. “Would you really want it any other way though?”

Mark grimaced. “Grr, I don’t wanna answer that.”

“That’s right, Markie, you’re whipped for each and every one of us,” Donghyuck rubbed his face against Lay’s back, eliciting deep and contented purrs from the little beast.

“Fine, Mark and Hyuck, Lay can sleep with you guys tonight, but tomorrow he’s ours,” Ten gestured to himself and Lucas.

“Sharing is caring,” Lucas added on in a singsong voice.

“That was unnecessary,” Ten said.

“It was funny though.”

“It wasn’t that either.”

“Why are you so mean?” Lucas pouted.

“Why are you so annoying?” Ten retorted.

“WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU BOTH STILL ALIVE?” Donghyuck, now fully in Mark’s bedroom, shouted loudly enough to shatter glass.

Poor Lay. He would probably never recover after being raised in this home environment. Or he’d become as chaotic as the rest of them.

***

As anticipated, Lay was as hard to handle as his four unruly fathers. He tore at everything, yowled impressively when he was hungry, and insisted on sleeping under somebody’s chin every night. Each evening, he’d pick his target and not let up until the poor soul had accepted their fate as a kitten pillow. He even did it when guests came over. Especially Taeyong, who was hands down his favorite human. Which, taste!!!!!!!

The meeting of Lay and Ju Ju made for what would become the most treasured home video in their circle. Whenever Ten felt overwhelmed or stressed about anything, he’d pull up the video, watch it, and receive an instant serotonin boost. Lay, with his fluffy little calico body and round dark eyes, was now very much the center of Ten’s world. Rivaled only, of course, by The Boyfriend himself.

The boyfriend who was currently draped across Ten’s bed and shooting him very yearning glances.

Ten, eyes still trained on the book in his lap, called him out, “I can feel your horny vibes from here.”

Scooching closer to Ten and resting a large hand on his thigh, Lucas winked at him, “Why don’t you do something about it then?”

“Go way, nympho,” Ten feigned irritation very well since more than half the time he was genuinely irritated. “Can’t a man read in peace?”

“No, he cannot,” Lucas replied. “Especially when _his_ man is laying sensually by his side, ready to be fucked.” 

The book, a hardcover, thumped against the side table as Ten discarded it. “You’re fucking sinful for this, Yukhei, but you do know _exactly_ what to say.”

With his freed hands, Ten removed Lucas’s shirt in one fluid, practiced movement. He paused to take in Lucas’s well-proportioned chest, admiring him unabashedly. The beauty of Lucas, the artistry of his features, would never be anything but novel and miraculous and awe-inspiring and gorgeous to him. As Ten pressed searing kisses to his already heated skin, he hoped Lucas could feel the reverence.

Then he drew away, tugging Lucas’s hand to encourage him to stand up with him. “Come into the light,” Ten pointed at the five or so square feet where the afternoon sun was illuminating the floorboards. “I want to see you.”

Without speaking, Lucas obeyed. He stood still. Waiting. Reminiscent of his bearing the night they first slept together many moons ago.

Ten slipped out of his clothes and pulled away the rest of Lucas’s. “I want to look at you,” he said, voice hoarse with desire. “And I want you to look at me too.”

They’d never done this before: explored one another’s bodies so meticulously and thoroughly and lovingly. It was soft and quiet and so, so intimate.

There, in the rays of the setting sun, they told one another the story of their love with caresses rather than words. It felt like worship. When Ten finally had Lucas unravelling beneath him, it felt transcendent.

“I think I love you with every single atom in my body.” Lucas breathed, winded but content. “There’s no part of me that doesn’t love you.”

“That sounds exactly like the sort of thing you’d say after getting your brains fucked out,” Ten deadpanned and braced himself for retaliation.

“Can’t you just say, ‘I love you too’?” Lucas pleaded, both exasperated and entertained.

“No,” Ten said, turning up his nose. “That’s boring.”

“Are you saying that loving me is boring?” Lucas whined, hovering over Ten, who pushed him away teasingly.

Ten smiled. The kind of smile only Lucas had ever really seen.

“Loving you is many things, Wong Yukhei, but it is most certainly _not_ boring.”

**THE END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my loves...  
> i don't even know what to say. my first fic is done! i know i just started posting a few weeks ago but i actually began writing this fic back in december so it's been with me for a decent amount of time and i am sad to be leaving it ;( but what i am NOT AT ALL SAD ABOUT, what i am in fact RIDICULOUSLY HAPPY ABOUT is all of you! MY PRECIOUS readers. the comments you've left on 3men have brought me so much joy! i have always struggled to believe that i can write creatively and do it well, so your support and your kind words mean so, so much to me. i am so touched by some of the things y'all have shared with me and i feel really close to you. i am sending everyone an ocean's worth of love because we ALWAYS need it.
> 
> oh and btw i am now officially addicted to writing. so i have another fic in the works. it's JaeYong centric and includes elves!!! i hope to be able to share it with you all as soon as possible. i'm so excited!
> 
> okay last thing i promise lmfao: the reason i named the cat Lay is because there's this video interview with Yixing and like buzzfeed, i think?? anyway they ask Yixing what his cats' names are and he's like omg tHis iS so aWkwaRd because they don't have names, i just call them 'cat.' i thought that was the funniest shit EVER so i decided to weave it in here!!! 
> 
> and remember:  
> STREAM DON'T CALL ME!!!!!!!!!!


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